Serene Sanitarium

During the holocaust, Artie and Anja experience horrors that no one should have to go through. They are dragged out of their homes and called "filthy jew[s]'(33) as well as forced to watch their own family members and loved ones killed or taken by Nazi's.

Due to this trauma, Anja is taken to a sanitarium in order to recover from being "hysterical or depressed"(31). The sanitarium is drawn as a very serine place to be. Anja and Artie's stay "is [more] like a luxury hotel"(34) than an asylum. They are waited on by nurses and stay in a luxurious room.

The sanitarium is the only place during the time period in which Artie's father is telling the story that all races are co-existing peacefully. The drawing shows bunnies, mice, elephants, horses, pigs, mouse, and countless other animals walking around the park-like area with each other.

This shows that the only place that is a safe escape from the anti-semitic views is an insane asylum, which is supposed to be for those who are mentally unstable. The author uses this irony to show how insane the people were during this time period for hating Jews and others so much. The sanitarium shows that the Nazi's are more insane than those living in an insane asylum. 

The details drawn in the scene also show the peacefulness and serenity of the sanitarium. The sketch of the sanitarium shows a castle like building in the back of the drawing and fountains and benches scattered around. These details create a casual and relaxing environment in which the different animals are staying in. The details are very obviously contrasting with the mood of Germany at the time, for it was the very opposite of casual or relaxing and once again shows the irony of the situation and compare to the chaos and disorder of the Nazi's. 



Comments

  1. Not PrestoOctober 8, 2017 at 2:35 PM

    I like the idea of this being used to contrast the time spent within Auschwitz, I can see where you're coming from with the idea that the peace of the sanitarium shows the dis-order and chaos of the camps. I can also see though the same contrast, where the sanitarium looks natural, and lush, where everything in the camps looks forcefully sterilized, and attempting to bring a false sense of order and cleanliness.

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  2. Malavika VengilattOctober 8, 2017 at 3:09 PM

    Wow the comparison with the insane and sane is so interesting. I never thought about the peaceful coexistence between all the animals in the asylum. It's so weird to think to that only people who are thought to be unstable can get along with each other. Good Work Em!

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