Opening Locked Doors

«Concealment is one of Fink's favorite motifs, and it has strong psychological as well as physical vibrations. The average student of Holocaust literature is unequipped by his or her background to venture into those dark corners of the concealed self that drove so many potential victims to make staying alive the top priority of their menaced existence. Illuminating human behavior under these circumstances, trying to teach about a self constantly in danger of annihilation, is a major test for Holocaust educators. Moreover, narratives featuring heroism, resistance, and spiritual uplift do little to help students enter the veiled space of the concealed self. The deepest atrocities of the Holocaust lie in that shadowy area, where the ruthless German impulse to humiliate their victims temporarily disabled the power of human dignity and drove many survivors to shun the chance to speak about this paralysis even years after the event. One of the most difficult tasks of the teacher is to locate texts that shed some light on this distressing legacy.»

Lawrence L. Langer, «Opening Locked Doors»