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Chapter 5: Mila
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in We Were the Lucky Ones, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Home
Perseverance and Hope
War, Oppression, and Violence
Family vs. Isolation
Summary
Analysis
When Addy tried to go to Poland for Passover, he was denied a travel visa because it is illegal for Jewish travelers to cross German borders. Now he follows the news of his hometown in the newspapers and worries about his family. He is glad to be in contact with Nechuma, who keeps him appraised of the situation at home. Addy, who is a successful composer, is glad to be distracted by his music. When he tries to discuss the war with his friends in Paris, they brush off the issue, confident that “nothing will come of” Hitler’s warmongering.
Though Addy is far away from the violence in Poland, he takes no pleasure in that distance because it means distance from his family. Part of his heart remains in Poland with the other Kurcs, and his attempts to distract himself are in vain. His friends do not understand his concern, since they, like Nechuma, hope that Hitler will prove no serious threat.
Active
Themes
Addy checks his mail, hoping for a letter from Nechuma, only to find that he has been conscripted into military service. He wonders if his brothers are in battle at that very moment, and he is frightened at the thought of joining them. He hopes the war will end before France deploys its troops. He wishes he could go home to his family. Now that he has been separated from them, Addy recognizes that family is the most important thing to him.
Just as Addy’s brothers went to Lvov to serve in the military, France calls on Addy to fight the Nazi threat as well. Like Jakob, Addy is no soldier. He is terrified at the thought of fighting in a war. He only wants to reunite with his family, but it took separating from them to make Addy realize how much he values his family.
Active
Themes
On September 22, Lvov surrenders to the Soviet Red Army. Five days later, Poland falls. Germany takes over the western region, including Radom, and the USSR takes over the eastern region, including Lvov.
Active
Themes
