Hope is more than just a word. To some, it means getting into college. To others, it means getting a promotion at work. To Hannelore Wolff, hope means a brighter future after the end of a cold, miserable war. In the book, I Will Plant You A Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman, Hannelore Wolff is a Jewish girl living during World War 2. When she learns that her brothers and mother will be deported, she sends a letter to the Gestapo asking to be deported with them. Wolff goes to eight different labor camps and concentration centers. At Brunnlitz she falls in love with a Jewish guard. She learns that he is a Polish prisoner of war, Bernard Hillman. The two lovers dream of a future when they can live together; however, Wolff gets sent to Auschwitz. Despite
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Wolff uses her relationship with Hillman to help her cope with the horrors she faces at various concentration camps. While digging a grave, Wolff realizes, “The stench of human decay remained, and the knowledge of being at a mass grave, having to disguise it, was no less horrible. But the thought of seeing him made it bearable” (117). She has a vision of a future living with Hillman. Dreaming of a brighter future makes it easier for Wolff to deal with the terror of the present. During her time at Auschwitz, Hannelore falls into a deep depression and contemplates committing suicide. However, she remembers her promise to Hillman, “Had we not promised each other not to give up, no matter what happened? And so I struggled on.” (199). Wolff did not end her life because she wants to have a future with Hillman. Wolff’s hope for the future and love for Hillman prevents her from ending her life and saves her. Another part of the book that I find intriguing is Wolff’s unfaltering devotion to her religion. Over the course of the novel Wolff encounters many Jews who do not care about religion because they believe that if there is a God, he would not want to torture them. Hannelore still keeps a firm belief in her religion: she says the Jewish prayer for death every time she sees someone killed at the concentration camps (186). When Bernard asks her why she still believes in God she says, “I can’t prove to you
Wolff uses her relationship with Hillman to help her cope with the horrors she faces at various concentration camps. While digging a grave, Wolff realizes, “The stench of human decay remained, and the knowledge of being at a mass grave, having to disguise it, was no less horrible. But the thought of seeing him made it bearable” (117). She has a vision of a future living with Hillman. Dreaming of a brighter future makes it easier for Wolff to deal with the terror of the present. During her time at Auschwitz, Hannelore falls into a deep depression and contemplates committing suicide. However, she remembers her promise to Hillman, “Had we not promised each other not to give up, no matter what happened? And so I struggled on.” (199). Wolff did not end her life because she wants to have a future with Hillman. Wolff’s hope for the future and love for Hillman prevents her from ending her life and saves her. Another part of the book that I find intriguing is Wolff’s unfaltering devotion to her religion. Over the course of the novel Wolff encounters many Jews who do not care about religion because they believe that if there is a God, he would not want to torture them. Hannelore still keeps a firm belief in her religion: she says the Jewish prayer for death every time she sees someone killed at the concentration camps (186). When Bernard asks her why she still believes in God she says, “I can’t prove to you