Rivka/Aunt Eva Character Analysis in The Devil’s Arithmetic

Rivka is Hannah’s closest friend in the concentration camp (where Hannah is Chaya), and Rivka eventually grows up to become Hannah’s Aunt Eva. Despite being younger than Hannah, Rivka has learned a lot about how the concentration camp works in her time there. She believes that the best way to avoid dying is to avoid attracting attention, and the best way to avoid attracting attention is to follow the camp rules, which can be nonsensical and contradictory, but which are nevertheless important to learn. Rivka teaches Hannah the meaning of sacrifice when she gives up her gold ring so that Hannah can be placed on kitchen duty instead of on the more dangerous woodcutting crew. Hannah returns the favor by swapping places with Rivka at the end of the novel so that Rivka can live on (and so that Hannah can return to her life in present-day America). Rivka demonstrates the injustices that Jewish people lived through in the concentration camps, showing how the Nazis imposed arbitrary expectations on them and how even following these expectations was not enough to guarantee survival. As the adult Aunt Eva, she impresses on Hannah the endurance and resilience of the Jewish people.

Rivka/Aunt Eva Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic

The The Devil’s Arithmetic quotes below are all either spoken by Rivka/Aunt Eva or refer to Rivka/Aunt Eva . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

There was a lipstick stain where Aunt Eva had kissed her on the forehead. She ran some water and tried to scrub it off, feeling guilty because Aunt Eva was her favorite aunt, the only one who preferred her over Aaron. Hannah was even named after some friend of Aunt Eva’s. Some dead friend.

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya, Grandpa Will, Aaron, Rivka/Aunt Eva

Related Symbols: Tattoo

Page Number and Citation: 7

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage comes after Hannah’s older relatives greet her upon her arrival at the Bronx apartment of her grandparents for a Passover Seder. While the first lines of the chapter describe Hannah’s reluctance to engage with Jewish culture, Hannah’s positive feelings toward Aunt Eva (as well as her sense of guilt about wiping off Aunt Eva’s lipstick) suggest that Hannah’s relationship to Judaism is more complicated. For Hannah, Aunt Eva is the living embodiment of the past, and the fact that Aunt Eva has a dead friend gives an early hint of how much Aunt Eva must have suffered when Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae ea

“Never mind, little Chaya, never mind,” Gitl said. “Shmuel and I—we are your family now.”

Related Characters: Gitl (speaker), Mother, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Father, Hannah/Chaya, Shmuel

Page Number and Citation: 31

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote comes after Hannah walks through a door at her grandparents’ apartment in the Bronx and somehow ends up in a shtetl somewhere not too far from Lublin, Poland, in 1942. Hannah becomes Chaya, a girl who seems to be Aunt Eva’s friend who died long ago. Hannah’s transformation into Chaya is significant because it forces her to do the one thing she has been avoiding so far in the novel: confront the past. Hannah immediately sees similarities between Chaya’s life and her own life in the novel’s present day. Just as Hannah “lost” her parents when she got Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus

Photographs of Grandma’s family but none of Grandpa Will’s, because, Aunt Eva had once explained, no photographs had been saved in the death camps. “We are our own photos. Those pictures are engraved only in our memories. When we are gone, they are gone.”

Related Characters: Rivka/Aunt Eva (speaker), Gitl, Grandpa Will, Shmuel, Hannah/Chaya

Related Symbols: Tattoo

Page Number and Citation: 44

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote describes Hannah’s realization that she has never seen Gitl or Shmuel before because any pictures of them were destroyed in the Holocaust. On the one hand, this fact helps Hannah realize the true scale of the Holocaust—in addition to the deaths of millions of innocent people, the Holocaust also resulted in the total erasure of many significant parts of Jewish culture. On the other hand, however, Hannah learns that despite how much of Jewish culture the Holocaust destroyed, many of the most important aspects of this old culture live on in the survivors, who continue to be a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut.

“God made the Devil, so God is here, too,” Rivka said.

Related Characters: Rivka/Aunt Eva (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Wolfe

Page Number and Citation: 114

Explanation and Analysis:

When Hannah says that the concentration camp she’s currently in feels like a place where the Devil lives, Rivka replies with this quote about how God created the Devil. Put differently, Rivka is suggesting that suffering (which Hannah attributes to the Devil) is in fact evidence of God’s presence, as God created both good and evil and thus is responsible for blessings and moments of great suffering. Rivka has been at the concentration camp longer than Hannah, and as a result, she has suffered more: every member of her family except for her brother Wolfe is dead. And yet despite Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. R

“Organize,” Rivka said. “As I have organized some shoes for you, and not wooden clogs, either. And sweaters. You will need them because the nights are cold still.”

Related Characters: Rivka/Aunt Eva (speaker), Hannah/Chaya

Page Number and Citation: 115

Explanation and Analysis:

The majority of Chapter 14 is devoted to Rivka teaching Hannah the rules—both official and unwritten—of life in a concentration camp. In this particular quote, Rivka explains how Jewish prisoners can come together to help one another. Rivka uses the word “organize” several times because it is a deliberately vague word. It could mean to barter, to obtain on the black market, or even to steal. By telling Hannah that she “organized” some shoes for her, Rivka is protecting both Hannah and herself by being vague about where the shoes came from. The word “organize” is also appropriate because it Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit ea

Suddenly Hannah noticed that one of the camp babies was still cradled in a wash tub. Without stopping to ask, she grabbed it up and ran with the child into the middle of the midden. Garbage slipped along her bare legs.

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , The Commandant

Page Number and Citation: 123

Explanation and Analysis:

As part of her duties in the camp, Hannah helps young children hide from the commandant (since they aren’t allowed at the camp). One day, she happens to see a baby that someone forgot. This passage describes her impulsive decision to take the baby herself to go hide. Hannah’s decision to help a stranger’s baby is her first major selfless action in the book, and it shows how far she’s grown as a character from where she started—recall that in the beginning of the novel, Hannah was complaining about having to celebrate Jewish holidays. Hannah’s selflessness seems to be directly Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Ve

When it was silent at last, the commandant threw the shoes on top of Fayge’s body. “Let them all go up the stack,” he said. “Call the Kommandos. Schnell!”

Related Characters: The Commandant (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Shmuel, Fayge, Grandpa Will

Related Symbols: Chimneys

Page Number and Citation: 159

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote describes the moment shortly after the commandant rounds up Shmuel and several other prisoners who failed to escape, then has them all shot. In the middle of the execution, Fayge (who didn’t join the escape attempt because she was too accustomed to regular concentration camp life) runs toward Shmuel and gets killed too. Fayge illustrates the consequences of giving in to despair, showing how once a person has lost their hope of a better future (as Fayge did when she chose not to escape), they may decide their life has no value. While the novel portrays Fayge sympathetically, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officii

The memories of Lublin and the shtetl and the camp itself suddenly seemed like the dreams. She lived, had lived, would live in the future—she, or someone with whom she shared memories. But Rivka had only now.

Related Characters: Esther, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Shifre, Hannah/Chaya

Related Symbols: Chimneys

Page Number and Citation: 159

Explanation and Analysis:

This passage comes from the climactic moment in the story where Hannah chooses to make the ultimate sacrifice, giving up her own life (or at least Chaya’s) in order to save Rivka. This decision shows how after witnessing all the other Jewish people in the camp making sacrifices to help the community survive, Hannah has finally decided that it is time to make her own sacrifice. Although Hannah knows that she has a life in the future, she ultimately doesn’t know what the outcome of her sacrifice will be for her in this moment—and so she demonstrates bravery and maturity Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earu

Then all three of them took deep, ragged breaths and walked in through the door into endless night.

Related Characters: Esther, Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Grandpa Will, Shifre

Related Symbols: Chimneys

Page Number and Citation: 160

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote describes Hannah’s final moments in the past, as she, Esther, and Shifre all walk through a dark set of doors that they know only as Lilith’s Cave (named after a demon from Jewish folklore). The scene has strong parallels to how Hannah originally got sent back in time to the past, with both cases involving her stepping through a dark doorway. Doorways can symbolize a transition, and this final step through a door shows the completion of Hannah’s coming-of-age journey. When Hannah returns to her grandparents’ apartment in the Bronx, it’s as if no time has passed. What Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti solu

“In my village, in the camp . . . in the past,” Eva said, “I was called Rivka.”

Hannah nodded and took her aunt’s fingers from her lips. She said, in a voice much louder than she had intended, so loud that the entire table hushed at its sound, “I remember. Oh, I remember.”

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya (speaker), Rivka/Aunt Eva (speaker)

Related Symbols: Tattoo

Page Number and Citation: 164

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote concludes the book’s final chapter (aside from the epilogue). In The Devil’s Arithmetic, Yolen often uses a mirror structure, where events at the beginning of the book occur in a different form near the end. In this quote, the final words of the book strongly resemble the opening lines, with each spoken by Hannah and dealing with the topic of remembering. But whereas Hannah felt resentful about having to remember Jewish culture and history at the beginning of the story, she now accepts her responsibility to remember the past with solemnity and even enthusiasm. Despite Hannah’s early affection Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. M

It later became an adoption agency, the finest in the Mideast. She called it after her young niece, who had died a hero in the camps: CHAYA.

Life.

Related Characters: Yitzchak, Gitl, Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva

Page Number and Citation: 166

Explanation and Analysis:

This is the final line of the story, occurring in an epilogue that describes Gitl and Yitzchak’s lives after surviving the Holocaust (as told by Aunt Eva to Hannah). Before their escape attempt, Gitl asked Chaya to promise to always remember her. As it turns out, however, Gitl survived the camp but Chaya didn’t. Gitl shows that memory goes both ways, and since Chaya is no longer around to remember Gitl, Gitl instead dedicates her life’s work to Chaya, helping children in need and even naming her organization after Chaya (a name that has double significance, since Gitl is also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium e

Rivka/Aunt Eva Character Timeline in The Devil’s Arithmetic

The timeline below shows where the character Rivka/Aunt Eva appears in The Devil’s Arithmetic. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

When Hannah arrives in the Bronx, Aunt Rose and Aunt Eva (her great aunts) greet her enthusiastically. Hannah prefers Aunt Eva, and in fact, Hannah is... (full context)

Hannah’s Aunt Eva had many chances in her youth to get married but turned them all down, preferring... (full context)

...table. Hannah remembers that Chaya is her Hebrew name, which she received in memory of Aunt Eva ’s dead friend. A man that Hannah doesn’t recognize calls himself Uncle Shmuel, and he... (full context)

...and Gitl are some of the last ones in the food line. A girl named Rivka gives them bowls and tells them they must always know where their bowl is, because... (full context)

After the evening meal of bread and watery soup, Rivka finds Hannah. Hannah is afraid, but Rivka tells her the Nazis only run the gas... (full context)

Hannah says she thinks the camp is the Devil’s place, but Rivka says God made the Devil, so God is in the camp too. Rivka begins telling... (full context)

Rivka tells Hannah and Shifre that the most important rule is to hide in the midden—the... (full context)

Rivka tells Hannah more about camp, like how Nazis take the good Jewish shoes and ship... (full context)

Early the next day, the commandant comes down for an inspection. Rivka begins making a clicking sound like a cricket in order to warn the young children... (full context)

Days pass, and Hannah gets into a routine. She begins helping Rivka in the kitchen and is occasionally rewarded with scraps of food. Hannah learns that Rivka... (full context)

Hannah tries to pass on Rivka’s kindness by giving some of her bread to Reuven. But Gitl says Hannah must make... (full context)

...again, and the rumor is that there will be a “Choosing” (of people to die). Rivka explains to Hannah that those who can’t work anymore are most likely to be “chosen.”... (full context)

...saw in history class. When she tries to remember who Dr. Mengele was, Shifre and Rivka think Hannah is feverish again. (full context)

Hannah and Shifre begin to wonder about the blokova. Rivka says that the blokova lost two of her fingers because she let the Jewish prisoners... (full context)

The commandant asks Hannah where Reuven’s mother is. Hannah says that she’s dead, then, remembering Rivka’s rule about not mentioning death in the camps, specifies that Reuven’s mother died long ago,... (full context)

...smoke comes out of the chimneys. Reuven doesn’t come back, and Hannah feels she’s responsible. Rivka assures Hannah that she did all she could, and she would’ve only gotten herself killed... (full context)

...against the Nazis, figuring it’s better to die that way than in the chimneys. But Rivka says they have no weapons, so their best option is to keep working in an... (full context)

Rivka whispers that the boy carrying away Fayge’s body is her brother Wolfe. The blokova comes... (full context)

Later that afternoon, while working in the kitchen, Hannah tells Rivka, Shifre, and Esther that she has a new story for them. She tells them that... (full context)

Rivka says that Hannah’s memories of the future are impossible, but Hannah says she is able... (full context)

Hannah realizes that she has a whole life in the future, but Rivka only has the current moment. She takes off the kerchief that Rivka is wearing, says... (full context)

...eventually remembering that the old man at the head of the table is Grandpa Will. Aunt Eva notices that Hannah looks pale and asks if there’s anything she can do. Eva raises... (full context)

...glass, Hannah notices that she has a tattoo on her arm—J18202, the same one as Rivka. Aunt Eva notices Hannah staring and asks if Hannah would like her to explain the... (full context)

Sometime after the Seder dinner, Aunt Eva tells Hannah the rest of the story. Only two people from Chaya’s shtetl survived: Yitzchak,... (full context)

Rivka/Aunt Eva Character Analysis

Rivka/Aunt Eva Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic

Chapter 1 Quotes

Chapter 4 Quotes

Chapter 6 Quotes

Chapter 14 Quotes

Chapter 15 Quotes

Chapter 18 Quotes

Chapter 19 Quotes

Epilogue Quotes

Rivka/Aunt Eva Character Timeline in The Devil’s Arithmetic