The Devil's Arithmetic

The story begins and ends with memory. In the novel’s first sentence, Hannah tells her mom: “I’m tired of remembering” (11). In the last sentence, Hannah informs Aunt Eva: “I remember. Oh, I remember” (156). Thus, the theme of memory anchors the narrative, and links to the theme of knowledge. Hannah is exhausted by remembrance, but she remembers nonetheless: She knows her family; she knows they survived the Holocaust; and, specifically, she knows her Grandpa Will’s behavior, and it bothers her. She remembers he grabbed and screamed at her when she drew a concentration camp number on her arm, and she has “never quite forgiven him” (17). At nearly 13, Hannah has memories and knowledge.

Hannah’s family has memories and knowledge too. Grandpa Will continues to remember the concentration camps. As a member of the Sonderkommando, he had to deal with countless dead people, and was left with haunting knowledge. Aunt Eva also has memories of the concentration camp. She says: “We all changed our names. To forget. Remembering was too painful. But to forget was impossible” (156). Eva and the other survivors wish they didn’t have terrible memories, but their knowledge of the concentration camp doesn’t disappear when they change their names.