Essay On The Holocaust By Herman Wouk

Holocaust. One word, yet this one word encapsulates atrocities almost beyond comprehension. This word triggers images of six million human beings who were imprisoned, starved, tortured, and murdered. In 1933 the Nazi Regime came to power in Germany. Fearing the Jews were taking control and becoming too powerful, the Nazis devised the plan of the “Final Solution” - extermination of the Jewish race, the Holocaust. Before the Holocaust, the population of the Jewish community in Europe was roughly nine million (Shapiro “World War II” 74). But, after the Final Solution, two thirds of the Jews were gone. What transpired over the course of the twelve years from the beginning of the Holocaust to the surrender of the German forces, what happened to those six million Jews?
Herman Wouk wove a descriptive story and the stories are diverse they are also hauntingly similar. The Nazis sought to annihilate an entire race, but they tried to hide their deeds behind lies. They created a facade and attempted to mask the true workings of their concentration camps. Wouk masterfully exposes this pretense through the eyes of
The camp underwent a full reconstruction. Women were forced to use their hairbrushes and toothbrushes to clean the streets (Esbrook 5). Buildings were repaired and repainted. Flower beds were reconstructed to create a false facade. Playgrounds were designed for the children to play on, but were used only when the inspectors came. In addition, a Council of Elders was established to create the idea that the prisoners had their own form of government (Intrator 515). In reality, the Council help no power. The camp also created a “system of commerce”, which was actually meaningless money that was never used. The project was a fool tactic designed to impress the Red Cross and mask the barbarity beneath the surface (Esbrook