Prologue
Be Proud
The sun is almost gone, the day is almost gone. My day is almost gone. I remember everything as it had been yesterday. Fire falling from the skies, the smell of rotten flesh that filled my lunghs with my kin, my same blood. No human should ever go through that. No soul should live hell without dying before. My people has suffered so much, so many tears, wounds and sweat in our faces. But that just make us stronger, we fought and we survived, though not before loosing the ones we loved. And we have rised again, and we'll build our empire the graves of the fallen in Aushwitz.
"Zeyde Imre!" My meditation was interrumpted, but I wasn't upset, in fact, everytime I hear her I know that all that suffering I went through to survive worths it. That was the voice of little Anne, named like that in honor of my beloved wife that now rests in peace with all the ones who fell in war. My son named his daughter with the most beautiful name I can think of ; Love. "Anny, long time since we last met. I allready miss you. She is very sentimental, and I like to play with her. Having nine years old she's allready a lady. "I'm sorry Zeyde , I didn't ment to hurt you, it's just that I'm not allow to travel in bus alone". She was telling me her mother left her here to spend the night and tommorrow morning I was invited to have lunch with them.
"And how's school going?" I know last year she had some problems with some classmates. Their parents were reluctant to having jewish kids in the school, so they tought their own own that jews were evil, and of course they would harass my little Anne. "Shul is allright". She said right away, without hessitation. Of course I don't believe a word. "Are you sure darling? Because I have a little friend that doesn't tells me that..." Before I could finish my words game she jumped from the chair were she was having a cookie and her face turned red. "I can bet that nasty boy Hans told you! I'll puch his teeth out!". I hit the jackpot with that question, and actually, she needs someone to talk to. My son and my daughter in law work all day, and they don't give much time to her and her problems. Probably she doesn't even wants someone to know she's having troubles at school. "Lady, don't use that foul language and lesss to refere to someone". "I don't really care if I offend that rat!" Maybe I got her mad, it was very easy, and I'll take advantage of the situation to let her explain why she's so pissed off. "What has he done to you sweetie? But calm down, breathe". Her eyes were drowning in tears of sorrow, but she wouldn't let a single tear come down. She was a strong girl, and I was proud of her. "They just won't stop". She had a pause. I think to contain the cry. "No they won't stop Zeyde". I was really touched with the scene that was happening right in front of me, she's really suffering at school. "But what do they do to you Anny?". She was telling me they would draw on her books and notebooks the svastika, and that every boy and girl would laugh at her.
After her explanation I offer her a cup of milk with some kuchen wich she accepted very glad. Once she was glad and relaxed again I started." Are you embarassed of being a Jew?" She didn't knew what to tell me, she took a look to the silling, like wanting to scape, then, still doubtfull about what to say she answered back. " Yes I am, sometimes I'll like to be like the rest of the kids, they don't have all this strange customs and stuff. I mean, why are we together if we are so different?". "Well darling, one of them asked the same long time ago, when I was just a kid, a bit older than you". The thing is childrens are the most dangerous weapons, they can cut your heart with words, and they don't keep nothing to them, maybe they are still wild and that's why they follow their instincts, specially in the moment of bothering someone that's different. "Annie, there's nothing bad about being a Jew. We are an ancient community, we've lived many horrors, we have suffered, and here we are, standing still, and you Anny, once I'm gone, you would have to tell this to your own kids. Be proud!" Her face was shining and with tears, so I took a book from the shelf and invited her to take a seat in my nap."Let me tell you a story that I once wrote. The story of a boy just like you, a bit older than you... Fatelessness
Rationale
I’ve chosen a new opening for my written task to
explore what outcome or effects have caused the discrimination of the Nazzi
regime in today’s society. That’s because the context is set in the XXI
century, in the home of Imre Kertész, the author of Fatelessness. As it’s
known, the story of Georg Koves (main character of the novel) is related to the
life of the author. But my main idea was to show how proud should be the Jewish
society of now days, and for this I had to include a new character, someone who
had doubts about being a Jew, so I created little Anne, Imre’s granddaughter, a
character that shows discrimination in our society. I had the opportunity to read
“To Kill a Mockingbird” some months ago and I related the personality of Anne
to the narrator of this other novel who is Scout. Both characters are
discriminated for being who they are and they don’t really know why. Both are
innocent characters involved in a discriminating society. And that’s when Imre,
(Atticus in TKM, the voice of the reason) helps the lost kid.
In the opening I used some Hebrew words with the
purpose of placing readers in the context of the Jewish culture, though Imre
doesn’t uses this words because he doesn’t really understands much and in the
novel it’s mentioned (assuming that he reflects Georg’s image) when they are
praying he doesn’t get a word.