While reading the end of The Zookeepers Wife, I was stunned by how quickly the Zabinskis returned to their previous lives. Soon after the war ended, Antonina brought Rys back to the zoo, and Jan returned from battle. They start up the zoo again, and it seems like everything is back to normal. I don't think that everything is back to normal though, people have horrible memories of the war, no one will ever be exactly the same. Antonina is described as, "Antonina wasn't involved in politics or war, and was timid, and yet despite that she played a major role in saving others and never once complained about the danger"(314). Antonina I believe was a very strong character throughout this book. She saved many people and was confident about what she did. When German officers would challenge her, she would confidently reply and they would back off. Antonina also kept her son save from all harm. In some ways one could say that being a "housewife" during this time was braver than going to war. She kept the underground railroad going and kept her family undercover.
This book really uncovered the holocaust for me. I never realized that it was this brutal. Because I read World War II from an actual perspective of the victims, the war became more real. To be in the Zabinski's shoes when bombs are going off all around the zoo, was breathtaking. All of the tough situations the Zabinskis went through. I was very pleased by this book and it makes me want to learn more about World War II. The book ends with a happy ending, Jan retires and to make a living writing books on zoology. Antonina becomes a children's book writer. The book ends with a poem describing Warsaw, Poland after the War. It describes how life goes on after the war, "Spring through fall, the horses live unaided by humans, wading in the ponds and grazing on bushes, tree branches, algae, and grass. Snow falls in mid-October and remains until may"(316). This quote I believe is showing that the seasons past and nothing changes. Life is still again. Poland went from intense chaos to slow moving, normal life again.
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3 comments:
I think that it is really a good thing to be able to see what war is really like. Its great to have a war story with a happy ending but unfortunately most true war stories didn't end that way...
I agree with you and Katie that it's important to see things from different perspectives. I think that we all have different views on events after reading biographies/autobiographies. The quick return back to normalcy is a bit disturbing, and makes me wonder how people can move on so quickly past wars and other nasty conflicts.
This book really shows how not only the military is hurt in war. An ordinary civilian with no military affiliations had his zoo devastated for a cause he didnt even believe in.
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