World War II Case

Mila 18

World War II fumed from 1939 to 1945 with fascist leaders that came to complete power in Europe using brutal force and unstoppable power. The leader and dictator of the fascist Nazi party, Adolf Hitler, hunted utter control of the land and demolition of the world's problems; the Jews. The Jews were practically starved, given little food, and lived in towns called ghettos, set up by Hitler, prominently for Jews. The amount of directive laws forced upon Jews was vast and basically banned all human rights and freedoms. Those who survived the hardships faced in the ghetto were usually sent to death camps where they were viciously killed, most popularly by gas chambers. This time period was known as the Holocaust. Leon Uris explains the lives of Jews of the well-known Warsaw Ghetto in Poland as they challenged harsh times and circumstances in his infamous book, Mila 18. Jewish civilians, specifically Dr. Paul Bronski and Andrei Androfski, were affected by and handled life in the ghetto emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

To begin, both characters dealt with severe emotional battles brought upon by ghetto life. For example, Dr. Bronski, worn out and drained from battle, became paranoid towards his family. He had no trust in the outside world and cherished his family's safety. This is why he was heated when his son practiced Judaism secretly with his rabbi, Rabbi Solomon. Also, the fact that his daughter Rachael went out to play piano recitals in the ghetto made him upset. The severity of his paranoia became evident when his wife Deborah simply left to go work at the orphanage. Bronski continuously warned her that it was not safe and she needed to stay secure at home. Consequently, Deborah threatened to leave Paul if he didn't relax. This struck Pauls' depression even harder and led him to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. His emotions seemed to have got the best of him, whereas, in contrast, Andrei handled his . Andrei Androfski's love, Gabriela Rak was a non-Jew working in the American embassy in Warsaw. The two were drastically ripped apart from each other due to the fact that the ghetto where Andrei lived was for Jews only. But Gabby begged that she and Andrei marry so she could live with him. While Andrei had the same sincere love towards Gabriela, he had to leave his love behind, knowing it was best for her safety. In all, the times in the Warsaw Ghetto brought many emotional struggles to Andrei and Paul's lives.

Secondly, Bronski and Androfski face and dealt with the spiritual sides of living the ghetto life. To begin, Paul Bronski tried to omit from his mind any Jewish heritage he pertained. He was almost embarrassed by it, for fear of safety for him and his family. He never participated in Jewish rituals like lighting the candles for Sabbath or reading the Torah. His kids didn't even find out they were Jewish until they were forced