Authenticity in Holocaust Literature for Children

http://sajlis.journals.ac.za/ 114 S.Afr.Tydskr.Bibl.Inligtingk.,1998,66(3) Authenticity in Holocaust literature for children M.P. Maehet Department of Information Science, Universityof South Africa, P.O.Box 392, Pretoria, 0003 Republic of South Africa [email protected] Many children's novels have been written about the Holocaust to try and make this period accessible and meaningful to children. Novels can help children become aware of the Holocaust by conveying some of the complexity of the historical situation and also by personifying the events through fictional characters with whom children can identify. However, if one wishes to achieve these aims then it is important to choose books that are authentic. In this article some criteria for authenticity of the representation of the Holocaust and Jewish characters will be advanced and considered in conjunction with the reasons for making books on this topic available for children. Certain books will then be evaluated according to these criteria. Die Holocaust as tema word deur heelparty kinderboeke gebruik om hierdie periode meer toeganklik en betekenisvol vir kinders te maak. Boeke kan help om kinders bewus te maak van die Holocaust deur die kompleksiteit van die historiese gebeurtenis oor te dra en om gebeure deur middel van fiktiewe karakters te verpersoonlik sodat kinders daarmee kan identifiseer. Indien hierdie doelwitte bereik wil word, is die seleksie van geloofwaardige boeke belangrik. Hierdie artikel poog om kriteria vir die geloofwaardige uitbeelding van die Holocaust en Joodse karakters daar te stel en te verduidelik waarom hierdie tema aan kinders bekendgestel moet word. 'n Aantal boeke word aan die hand van die gestelde kriteria geevalueer. The Holocaust was a watershed event in the history of hu- Authenticity manity and many children's novels have been written to try The Concise Oxford dictionary (1981 :58) defines authentic and make this horrific period accessible and meaningful to as 'reliable trustworthy; of undisputed origin, genuine'. children. Parsons and Totten (1997) state that fictional Authenticity can thus be assumed to include genuine por- books are an important means of helping children become trayals of cultures and avoidance of stereotyped characters. aware of the Holocaust. They can convey some of the com- It is particularly important that stereotypes be avoided in plexity of the situation and help translate statistics into Holocaust children's literature because stereotypes were people with whom children can identify. A good book will one of the means used by Nazis to create anti-Semiticism also avoid oversimplification of a complex historical event and to alienate Jews. A stereotype is defined by Leveson and help children better understand the many factors that (1996: I) as ultimately led to the Holocaust. Books help to give children 'a generalised and often exaggerated image of a insight into the feelings of people at that time. They can group of people, constructed from scanty and in- help children develop a deeper respect for human decency sufficient evidence, and commonly accompanied by providing credible models of heroism and dignity who by prejudice, either negative or positive'. transcended the evil of the Nazis. Children also will be able Shain states (1994:5) that a stereotype is a complex mental to examine the moral choices that were open to people: construct (or set of images) which is automatically asso- victim, oppressor, bystander or rescuer. They can analyse ciated with a word and is seen as factual rather than belief the corruption of language used by the Nazis to disguise because of consensual validation. Stereotypes of Jews have their evil intent, for example, emigration for expulsion, remained relatively consistent through a long period of tinal solution for the planned annihilation of every Jew in time. Europe. The origin of Western anti-Semiticism is the religious If one wishes to achieve these aims then it is important to stigma based on the crucifixion myth, where the Jews are choose books that are authentic because books, novels and seen as the murderers of Jesus. The religious stigma was television are the primary means through which most reinforced by an equally powerful economic stigma children will gain their knowledge of the Holocaust (Wood whereby Jews are seen as the incarnation of monetary 1992:358). In this article some criteria for authenticity of values. Both stereotypes have persisted to the present day the representation of the Holocaust and Jewish characters (Leveson 1996:35) and are still found in children's books will be put forward and considered in conjunction with the such as In die hemel eet 'n mens mieliepap by Maretha reasons for making books on this topic available for Maartens (1991). The racial or eugenic form of anti- children. Certain books will then be evaluated according to Semiticism emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. these criteria. Jews were believed to be intellectually and biologically http://sajlis.journals.ac.za/ S.AfrJ .Libr.lnf.Sci., 1998,66(3) 1/5 different and inferior to the Aryan or Nordic nations and for another culture, the author may have to make adapt- unable to be assimilated. This form of racism reached its ations so that the book will be acceptable to the other peak in Nazi Germany and became the motivating rationale culture. Mo and Shen (1997 :90) suggest that adaptation is a behind the eliminationist anti-Semiticism whereby the only process of cultural filtering to make the book accessible to way to preserve the Aryan races from contamination was to the anticipated audience. However, this filtering IS un- eliminate the Jewish race entirely in the Final Solution in acceptable if it means the book no longer reflects or has the Holocaust (Leveson 1996:35). Totemeyer (1984:8) con- perverted the cultural values of the original culture. tends that racists attribute cultural differences to biological factors, in that forms of behaviour, habits and customs are Authenticity and stereotyping considered to be inborn rather than learned. As stated above, in order to be authentic, books need to The way characters are presented are of particular im- avoid stereotyping. Cheyette (1993:268) emphasises that portance in children's books because research indicates that the stereotypical Jew in literature is anything but simple. children's racial attitudes are formed by contact with the Writers do not simply draw on a mythic representation but prevailing attitude of their communities about those races, actively construct an image in relation to their own political rather than by contact with people of other races (World and literary concerns. Shain (1995 :78) states that there are Council of Churches 1979: I I). Frequently the only contact many common stereotypes of Jews used in literature which a child may have with another race is through the pages of a consist of a racist component as well as a moral com- book. The way the group is portrayed in the book can there- ponent. Physical indications of race are the large nose, fore be very influential in forming the child's perceptions and attitudes towards the race. darker skin tone and thick lips. There is also a moral component to the stereotype - Jews are depicted as dishonest, Mo and Shen (1997:86) identify accurate historical money-grubbing, conniving and likely to cheat and deceive information and cultural details as important aspects of honest, trusting Christians. Allport (1979) in a study of authenticity. Although historical accuracy in terms of the prejudice found that the Jew in the Holocaust suffered a Holocaust can be a difficult issue as so much of the history particular type of stereotyping namely the scapegoat. They is too horrific to portray accurately in books intended for were held to be accountable for the loss of the First World children, if the Holocaust is not to be trivialised it is essential that the facts are presented as accurately as War and to be conniving with the Russians to take over the possible within these constraints. It must also be taken into world. The contradictory images of the Jew as a Bolshevik account that children have limited knowledge and ex- as well as controlling the capital of the world indicates the illogicality of the stereotype. perience of an event like the Holocaust. They cannot compare representations with other representations they The Afrikaans book, In die hemel eet 'n mens mieliepap have encountered or recognise fine shades of meaning, by Maretha Maartens (199 I), uses racially based stereo- nuances or moral gradations. types and reinforces racist perceptions. An Afrikaans girl A form of historical inaccuracy, which can even be comments on Daniel's nose 'It is so hooked, just like a regarded as historical revisionism, is to present the Holo- lucerne sickle'. Daniel replies, 'We Jews have such noses. caust as simply a consequence of the war. The suffering of It is our ... trade mark' (p. 6). She also comments on his the Jews is then presented as similar to suffering of others swarthy skin co)our (p.7). While standing in a queue for in the war. Wood (1992:360) quotes Friedlander who calls bread in Munich he sees some concentration camp inmates this the 'symmetric version of the past' wherein the crimes dragging a wagon. He asks a woman standing in the queue of the Nazis are matched with the destruction wrought by who they are. She replies, 'But you are also Jewish ... How the Allied forces. While Nazi crimes are not denied in these can you venture out on the streets?' (p. 4 I). Daniel thinks symmetric narratives, Allies join the Nazis in the category about her comment and realises 'The boys that pulled the of potential 'perpetrators'. wagon, all had the Jewish nose' (p.

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