Previous
Gitl
Shmuel is Gitl’s kind brother who looks out for Hannah in the past as if she were his own daughter. Shmuel is about to marry Fayge, but this joyful ceremony is interrupted when the Nazis forcibly relocate everyone in his shtetl to a concentration camp. At the camp, Shmuel gets assigned to difficult woodcutting work and Hannah sees little of him, as the concentration camp is strictly separated by gender. Ultimately, Shmuel dies after a failed escape attempt that allows his friend Yitzchak to escape successfully. Like his sister Gitl, Shmuel is generous and is willing to make sacrifices for others.
Shmuel Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic
The The Devil’s Arithmetic quotes below are all either spoken by Shmuel or refer to Shmuel. 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:
).
Chapter 4 Quotes
“Never mind, little Chaya, never mind,” Gitl said. “Shmuel and I—we are your family now.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
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
Chapter 5 Quotes
“But if there is no Old Rochelle, how can there be a New?” Shmuel mused out loud. “Perhaps there is a Rochelle all alone, though the child does not know it.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote describes Hannah’s futile attempts to explain what life is like in the future to her new parent figures, Shmuel and Gitl. For Hannah, her home in New Rochelle is practically all she’s ever known, and so she finds it jarring to learn that in this time and place, people haven’t even heard of her home. This passage is significant because, as much as the novel explores the importance of memory, it also explores the limits of what memory can accomplish. Hannah can remember the times that she learned about the history of the Holocaust in school, and yet 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 c
Chapter 6 Quotes
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:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
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.
Chapter 7 Quotes
Pretty girl, with faraway eyes,
Why do you look with such surprise?
How did you get to be so wise,
Old girl in young-girl disguise.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This is a song that the badchan (an entertainer like a jester at Jewish events) sings to Hannah during the wedding of Shmuel and Fayge. This is the part of the story when Hannah gets to experience Jewish culture at its most joyous. In addition to the celebratory atmosphere of the wedding, she also makes some new friends in the shtetl named Rachel, Esther, and Shifre. Still, lurking under this happy occasion are some ominous signs, including the specter of World War II and the Holocaust. The badchan perfectly captures this contradictory tone, combining jokes and laughter with a strange 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
Chapter 8 Quotes
“The men down there,” she cried out desperately, “they’re not wedding guests. They’re Nazis. Nazis! Do you understand? They kill people. They killed—kill—will kill Jews. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. Six million of them! I know. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. We have to turn the wagons around. We have to run!”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
After the Nazis come with trucks and start ordering all the Jewish people to board them to get “resettled,” Hannah tries in vain to convince the others that they are all I grave danger. Hannah, with her knowledge from the future, knows without a doubt that the Nazis pose a real threat to the villagers. Nevertheless, she struggles to convince the people around her that what she’s saying is true. In this scene, Hannah gets an important lesson about how unprecedented the actions of the Nazis were, even in a world where anti-Semitism had a long history. While the villages 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. Perferendi
Chapter 10 Quotes
“Of course, Jew,” came the officer’s voice. “And then my men will move among you and take your papers and jewelry for safekeeping.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This quote by a random high-ranking Nazi provides the people of Gitl and Shmuel’s shtetl with an early warning that perhaps Hannah was correct, and the Nazis don’t simply intend on “resettling” all the Jewish people after all. The Nazi shows several signs that he doesn’t respect Jewish people as fellow humans. To begin with, the Nazi simply calls the man he’s talking with “Jew,” as if to imply that every Jewish man is interchangeable. Furthermore, the Nazis begin to strip the Jewish prisoners of their valuables and their identification papers—the things that prove they are individuals with rights. The 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 corr
Chapter 17 Quotes
“If something happens to us, you must remember. Promise me, Chaya, you will remember.”
Hannah’s lips moved but no sound came out.
“Promise.”
“I will remember.” The words forced themselves out through her stiffened lips.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In this quote, Gitl prepares Hannah (whom she still calls Chaya) for an upcoming escape attempt in which she, Shmuel, Yitzchak, and some others will participate. As the dangerous escape attempt approaches, Gitl’s biggest concern isn’t death but being forgotten, which is why she asks Chaya to make a promise to remember. This passage shows how far Hannah has come since the beginning of the book, which featured her complaining about having to remember the past. Now, Hannah finally accepts her responsibility to remember those who have not survived to tell their own stories. In fact, Hannah was correct about 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
Chapter 18 Quotes
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:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
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
Get the entire The Devil’s Arithmetic LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Shmuel Character Timeline in The Devil’s Arithmetic
The timeline below shows where the character Shmuel appears in The Devil’s Arithmetic. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 4
...memory of Aunt Eva’s dead friend. A man that Hannah doesn’t recognize calls himself Uncle Shmuel, and he comes over to hug Hannah. Gitl teases Uncle Shmuel, her brother, about how...
(full context)
...mother and father, but somehow, she also feels like Chaya. She realizes that Gitl and Shmuel are actually speaking in Yiddish, but somehow, she can understand them.
(full context)
...Gitl about her mother and father, but Gitl just comforts her, saying that she and Shmuel are taking care of her now.
(full context)
Chapter 5
...still living in the shtetl (small town with a mostly Jewish population) with Gitl and Shmuel. Shmuel asks Hannah if she’s been having bad dreams too. He reveals that even someone...
(full context)
Hannah tries to convince Shmuel that she’s really from New Rochelle, in America, but Shmuel just takes it as a...
(full context)
...has tried in the past to convince Gitl to marry him, comes over to visit. Shmuel greets him, but Gitl just grunts at him. Yitzchak is preparing his chickens because Shmuel...
(full context)
Chapter 6
...get dressed. She gives Hannah the dress that she herself wore on the day of Shmuel’s Bar Mitzvah, since all of Hannah’s old clothes in Lublin had to be burned in...
(full context)
The whole shtetl comes over to Gitl and Shmuel’s place to celebrate before Shmuel’s wedding. Three girls come over to greet Hannah, and one...
(full context)
Chapter 7
...she knows the words. The girls gossip about how strange it is that Fayge and Shmuel are marrying for love—most marriages are arranged.
(full context)
Chapter 8
...Hannah about what it’s like in Lublin. Eventually, Fayge confesses that she’s nervous about marrying Shmuel. Hannah reveals that Shmuel is also nervous. This makes Fayge feel better, and she promises...
(full context)
Hannah asks Shmuel what year it is, and he says 5701. The badchan realizes Hannah is confused and...
(full context)
Chapter 9
Shmuel and the rabbi go to talk to the Nazi officer with medals. When Shmuel comes...
(full context)
Chapter 10
In a Nazi truck, Shmuel calls out over the singing, pointing out a nearby train station. The truck stops, and...
(full context)
Chapter 11
...fourth day, the train stops for good, and Nazis begin ordering everyone to get out. Shmuel tells them that more people have died, but the Nazis tell him to just leave...
(full context)
While walking to the barracks, Fayge collapses, and Shmuel goes over to help her. Hannah laments that they didn’t run when they had the...
(full context)
Chapter 15
Hannah asks if Gitl has heard about the men of the shtetl, like Shmuel and Yitzchak (who are in a different part of the camp for men), and Gitl...
(full context)
Chapter 17
One morning, Gitl tells Hannah that there’s a plan, which involves Yitzchak and Shmuel, but which Hannah must not mention to anyone else. Gitl refuses to say more, so...
(full context)
...and tells her to move. As they walk, Hannah is distressed to learn that while Shmuel is going, his new wife, Fayge, has decided to stay behind, as she prefers the...
(full context)
Chapter 18
The commandant is there again the next morning for a roll call. Hannah sees that Shmuel has been badly beaten and is standing with the violinist from the klezmer band and...
(full context)
The commandant gives a speech about how Shmuel and the other men standing in front of him are as worthless as garbage and...
(full context)
