THE GROUP PROJECT
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Hello, and Welcome to our group project website based on the wonderful memoir I was a child of Holocaust survivors by Bernice Eisenstein. In these blog entries, we shall provide an author biography of Eisenstein, an analysis of her graphic memoir, and an analysis of her memoir in context of the graphic memoir genre. We have also included a wonderful interview we had with Bernice Eisenstein at the start of this blog. We sincerely hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as we enjoyed reading Eisenstien's amazing memoir!
Elizabeth, Amanda, Daniel, and Victoria
INTERVIEW WITH BERNICE EISENSTEIN, AUTHOR OF - I WAS A CHILD OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
We recently had an email interview with Bernice Eisenstein to ask her about her book I was a child of Holocaust survivors (2006). She very kindly responded back to us and provided us with insightful information. Below will be the questions we asked and her responses.
Question 1: How would you describe your style of illustration?
Bernice: Hmm, my style. I usually think that I'm the worst person for describing this, since it's not really something that I spend much time thinking about. But I'd like to think that it's recognizable, in the way that everyone has their own signature. I'm better at trying to say what I'd like my drawings and paintings to have--both a lightness and a weight, for them to have a feel alive. Perhaps in asking me this question, it's a good place for you me to ask the same of you--how would you describe my style? But I think expressionistic fits. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 2: What were some of the influences for you memoir’s illustrations?
Bernice: If you are asking me about who are the artists that have had an influence on me, who I admire and have learned from, then it's artists such as van Gogh, and Ben Shahn and Chagall and Saul Steinberg. There are others, but their sensibility, the effect their work has had on me, has been important. There's a book by Milton Glaser titled "Drawing is Thinking" that's wonderful. The title says it all, and add to it the next line which would be: Thinking is Drawing. And my book is about a process of memory into not only my past, but the past of my parents and their friends. For me, the time I spent writing and drawing was a place of discovery. So, the photographs I look at, the faces I looked into in order to feel who they were, and who they once were before I had known them, became a guide, a voice to listen to, in order to make them come alive on the page. Memory--going to another terrain--was the propelling influence, and from that, feelings of compassion and loss, helped shape the paintings. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 3: We are theorizing on your use of colour. We were wondering why some illustrations have colour and others do not? Was this use of colour intentional, or more intuitive?
Bernice: The individual family portraits are in colour. And then black and white are meant to take the reader elsewhere. In a way, the same question could be rephrased and you could be asking me why and when I decided to write, use words, and not draw or vice versa. Colour and black and white are a language. For me, the colour, the individual portraits, was a way of stopping a moment, slowing down the pace of absorption, as if to say, here is this person, this individual, this life, this soul. And with the black and white--here is a moment in time, a memory, a past, sometimes my past, sometimes theirs, and then I could add words to that drawing, and have it be ironic, both sad and funny--and then it was also a way of showing how my own mind worked. That is, trying to see more than one way. The black and white is seeing/hearing me think. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 4: We noticed through your use of line, colour, and expressions, that your images are very emotionally charged. Could you elaborate on your drawing process for us? What is it like from start to finish? When do you know that your illustrations will effectively evoke emotions like those in your memoir?
Bernice: This is a very thoughtful question. Not easy to answer without sounding mysterious. If only you could have been inside my head and heard what went on while I worked. And I feel that your question is also a compliment, since you felt that the images were "emotionally charged." To me, that means you have already felt the answer to your question, because that is what I felt when I drew or painted. It is exactly those feelings that are the process, and which guide the pen and the brush...See, I told you this answer might sound mysterious. But you've asked, and I want to be honest, and hopefully don't sound obscure. I believe in the poetry and truth of searching, and in painting, you look for that place of relationship to "subject." I'll try to describe the process of when I first started doing portraits of my father. I knew that I didn't want to just paint him in a realistic manner, to have him only recognizable from his physical being. I wanted to describe and place on paper what I felt was inside of him--a distillation, I believe. So when I draw him, his essence comes forth--and then I am in his company, having a conversation with him. And I remember his silences and his passion and his hurts and his devotions, and all of that mixes together to become his portrait. And that is the point that I feel the portrait is complete--not perfect, but full and filled. So, I start from a place that at first feels unsure, and open, not knowing if I can get it right, or do it justice. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 5: What was it like creating your own personal memoir as opposed to creating content for someone else?
Bernice: There were different stories to tell, and from different vantage points. And even if it was a story from someone else's past, I knew at times it was still came from my reflection and understanding of it. So it was hard at times--to find the right voice from which my own thoughts could appear. It was always about finding the right tone, like hitting the right notes of music to be played. The book is not an autobiography of my life, but more to the point, it is a memoir of a sensibility, a relationship to the Holocaust that integrally formed that sensibility. And that means it is not one thing, not based on facts and numbers, but on individual lives and my understanding and feelings for them. The difficulty then was how to create fluid movement between myself and my entry into those lives. Once understanding that my book was not going to proceed in a chronological, a linear form, with time movement forward, I then found the freedom to move back and forth through time as I needed. This allowed me to sometimes speak through my own voice--and at various ages--and then also integrate and write about someone else.(Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 6: We were wondering if we could get more details on your life in high school and university as well as your travels.
Bernice: Ah, now you're asking about my life, some facts. I spent most of high school reading, but not necessarily what was required for classes. I loved grade 13 math--yes in the days when grade 13 still
existed. Our teacher handed out a pack of playing cards to each one of us, so we could properly learn computations--which would be useful for playing poker or going to the racetrack and figuring out the
odds. As for university, at the time, I wasn't terribly secure about my abilities as an artist, so I chose not to go to art school, but I knew that I loved to read, so I went to York University and that's what I did. I studied literature, and I read. And had the great pleasure of studying with a couple of very wonderful professors, who made a difference in my life. I think I was lucky, and it was the beginning of taking my studies seriously. And then I went back to painting. You can tell, I think, that I'm rather private about "facts" concerning my life. As for travelling--I'll only sound like a cliche--you diminish and you grow at the same time. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
existed. Our teacher handed out a pack of playing cards to each one of us, so we could properly learn computations--which would be useful for playing poker or going to the racetrack and figuring out the
odds. As for university, at the time, I wasn't terribly secure about my abilities as an artist, so I chose not to go to art school, but I knew that I loved to read, so I went to York University and that's what I did. I studied literature, and I read. And had the great pleasure of studying with a couple of very wonderful professors, who made a difference in my life. I think I was lucky, and it was the beginning of taking my studies seriously. And then I went back to painting. You can tell, I think, that I'm rather private about "facts" concerning my life. As for travelling--I'll only sound like a cliche--you diminish and you grow at the same time. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 7: Why did you structure your memoir the way you did?
Bernice: I might have answered a part of this one in #5. The book is about a process of memory, so the structure had to be organic. And I wrote and drew those pieces, hoping they would become the shape of that experience I was engaged in. Time fell away, and another flow came forth, following the direction of an inward eye. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 8: What was your intention in telling us stories from survivors, like your mother?
Bernice: I'll answer this one specifically about my mother. I had her story on tape, and it was hers to be told. So I struggled with finding her voice, unadorned by mine. There is a gravitas, a centre to be found in her chapter. And again, it is about memory. If facts are to be told, then they could come from her own story. From the other survivors, the friends of my parents that I grew up with--I had bits of overheard conversations, moments in time when stories were told, that gathered over time. Writing about them, in the way that I did, was to evoke their lives, where an instance in a present also held the undercurrent of their past. This meant that moments of joy were tinged with sadness. I wanted to find a way to reveal that essence, and if I could, then they would feel the embrace of compassion I had felt. My intention? Only to say it was important. There is so much to learn about our own hearts. I had learned from the hearts of others. Rather than "intention"--there's a beautiful Jewish saying: there is no heart more whole than a broken heart. And that's where I travelled. I journeyed in their company for a while. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 9: Why was it important for you to include humour in your memoir?
Bernice: Because it's how I see things. Both sad and funny and ironic and paradoxical. It's a good vantage point from which to stand and look out from when you look into a dark place; because you might see more. "Tell the truth and shame the devil"--it's a great phrase. And because humour holds what's both sad and true and honest. In writing, it meant I could also be playful, pull the rug out, so to speak, from whatever expectations might have been in dealing with the Holocaust. Because I knew that being humorous would never undermine the seriousness of what I was writing about. And without humour, I would not have been me, I would not have found my voice from which to write, to find the words or the pictures to draw.(Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
Question 10: What moral message(s) would you want the readers to take from your memoir?
Bernice: I don't know about "moral" messages. We've all been taught in some way or another the same things. Be kind, don't kill anyone, try to be a good person, help an old lady cross the road, and recycle your garbage. How far have we advanced? The lesson of history seems to be how much we have to learn. I'm sure the cavemen recycled their sticks, and sharpened them into more efficient weapons. Perhaps this is where I turn it around and ask a question of you. How did you feel when you read my book? Did the people who live in my book become people who entered your hearts. And if they did, my own is warmed."(Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011)
We would again like to thank Bernice so much for her time and for writing her memoir.
PART 1: AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
This section will examine the Bernice Eisenstein, the author of I was a child of Holocaust survivors. It will cover: early life, adult life, historical context of growing up, career low/high points, works and awards, reception and reviews, media appearances and other interviews, and images.
Early life
Bernice Eisenstein, as a child, was different from other children in that she discovered her passion for literature and creative arts at such a young age. More specifically, after she saw the film “Lust for Life” at the age of six, she decided she wanted to become an artist (Panmacmillan, 2009). I believe this early discovery along with her experiences propelled her to write great books today.
Bernice was born in October 1949 in a downtown area of Toronto called Kensington Market where she lived for four years (I was a Child of Holocaust Survivors, 2006, pp.56). This area, in the past and even today, was filled with shops and eateries where her parents had also ran a chicken shop. She and her family came from a humble beginning as refugees from the Holocaust. Although Bernice did not experience and understand it herself, this unknown had always piqued her interest throughout her life which also led to the formation of bonds with others with similar experiences. For example, Bernice states in her blog entry Holocaust (2008):
As I became a young adult I started spending more time with their “Group”. I actually enjoyed hanging out with them. They talked a lot about the Holocaust, which interests me great. They also answered questions that I did not ask my parent because I thought that it would upset them. For some reason, I just felt comfortable around them. I began to consider them as family.
Eisenstein, B. (2008). Holocaust [MySpace post]. Retrieved from
Panmacmillan (2009). [Interview]. Retrieved October 18th , 2011, from
Adult life
Bernice Eisenstein states that “You can tell, I think, that I’m rather private about ‘facts’ concerning my life” (personal communication, 2011). This seems to be the case because it is surprisingly difficult to find much detailed information on Bernice Eisenstein’s adult life. However, there is enough information (from personal communication and her memoir) to construct a more basic picture of her adult life which includes such aspects as education, travels, etc.
While growing up and in her adult years, Bernice Eisenstein loved reading. This love of reading continued throughout and influenced her education. She admits that she “...spent most of high school reading” (Eisenstein, interview, 2011). Bernice attended high school when there was still a grade 13 and she “...loved grade 13 math...” (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011). Bernice Eisenstein later attended York University for literature. Although she is also an illustrator now, Bernice states that: ...at the time, I wasn’t terribly secure about my abilities as an artist, so I chose not to go to art school, but I knew I loved to read, so I went to York University and that’s what I did. I studied literature, and I read... And then [later on] I went back to painting. (personal communication, 2011)
Bernice Eisenstein did do some travelling in her early adult years. In her memoir she says that she had lived in Jerusalem when she was 20 years old (I was a child of holocaust survivors, 2006, p. 124). However, when asked about travelling in a personal communication Bernice Eisenstein states: “As for travelling—I’ll only sound like a cliché—you diminish and you grow at the same time” (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011).
Bernice Eisenstein is most known for her memoir I was a child of holocaust survivors (2006). Bernice Eisenstein has also (before and after her memoir) illustrated, written, reviewed, and edited for many magazines, most notably the Globe and Mail (McClelland). For example, here is a memoir review (of the memoir A family ravaged by Alzheimer’s) written by Bernice herself for the Globe and Mail in 2010.
Some of the most notable events during Bernice Eisenstein’s adult years are the death of her father and the birth of her son (these events are closely tied and very significant in her memoir). Her interactions with the group (her parent’s friends and fellow Holocaust survivors) and other survivors that occurred during her adult years significantly shape her memoir and the reader’s experience. Bernice Eisenstein now lives in Toronto with her husband and children (McClelland).
Eisenstein, B. (2006). I was a child of Holocaust survivors. Toronto, On: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
McClelland.com (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2011, from http://www.mcclelland.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=68685
Historical context of growing up
The Holocaust is a major part of Bernice Eisenstein memoir. She wants to learn and know more about it to try to understand what her parents and their friends experienced. She wanted to know about the event that had impacted and shaped them so. In looking at her parents past, she is not only looking at them, but at herself as well (their past is her past).
Holocaust : Brief overview
Auschwitz-Birkenau was one of the largest and widely known extermination/concentration camps and is “known around the world as a symbol of Nazi genocide” (Państwowe, 2011 ). This was that Bernice Eisenstein parents were sent to and survived. The Jewish population in Europe in 1933 was around 9 million. By 1945, the Nazi and their collaborators had killed 6 million (2 out of every 3) (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2011). This gives some insight into what affected her parents.
Her Mother
Her Father
After the Holocaust
Her childhood span the 1950's and 1960's in
The 1950's (and 1960's) were a time of optimism and fear. The war was over and life was returning to normal. People were having children and industry and economies were improving greatly. It was the age of televisions, music (e.g. Elvis, Beatles, etc.) and entertainment. It was also the time for civil rights (e.g. Martin Luther King), as well as technological advancements (e.g. Avril Arrows, nuclear programs, space programs, etc.) During this time people also had great fear. They feared the rising power of other countries and related it to the fear of the influence of Nazi Germany. Arms and technology races, nuclear threats and the fear of communism (led to Cold war, Korean war, McCarthyism, blacklisting, and anti-communism). In her memoir, these specified historical events aren't really mentioned or don't play a huge role (save for the Adolph Eichmann trial). The era can be see in her books in other ways however, such as the style of dress, clothing, hair and media (e.g. Westerns). It also comes out in different visual aspects of the book, such as the 1950's horror-movie-esque cover. The focus is mainly on her family and Jewish community, as well as her parent's past.
Adolph Eichmann Trial
I once spoke with a Sturmbannfuhrer who had been a member of the SS secret service in Budapest and who now served as a witness for the prosecution. he told me the following incident: "it was in October of 1944. We 5 SS men and Eichmann - were sitting in the SS-Casino in Budapest. one of the younger officers, referring to the number of Jews to be annihilated asked, 'How many are there?'. Eichmann replied 'about five.' We all knew that meant five million people. then someone else said, somewhat incautiously, "What about after the war? Will people ask what happened to these millions? Eichmann just flicked his hand and said; 'One hundred dead are a catastrophe; one million dead are a statistic'. (Wiesenthal, 1999)
Adolf Eichmann had a leading role player in the deportation of Jewish people to death camps during the Holocaust (also in taking their property and possessions away, establishing ghettos, and using certain methods of extermination)(PBS,1997). He soon went to work in the section of Jewish affairs and emigration (he wanted to force the emigration of Jewish people to the middle east)(Nizkor Project 2011). He viewed this as a possible “Solution to the Jewish question” (Nizkor Project 2011). He established a center for Jewish affairs and emigration in Vienna (they were also later set up in Berlin and Prague)(Nizkor Project 2011). In 1939 he became the chief of Jewish affairs and emigration/evacuation in the Gestapo. In 1942 he organized the Wannsee conference which examined the “Final solution” (i.e. mass extermination of Jewish people).
After the war he escaped from an American internment camp and fled to Argentina, where he was able to live undetected under a false identity. 10 years later in 1960 he was captured by Mossad agents and was put on trial in Jerusalem for crimes against humanity and war crimes (Nizkor Project 2011). The trial was highly watched, highly publicized and rather controversial (in fact it was nicknamed as “the trial of the century”). Eichmann pleaded not guilty and relied on the defense of simply “obeying orders” (he was also exceedingly arrogant). What also made the trial so significant was the use of witnesses. These 112 witnesses testified about the events of the Holocaust, what happened to them, the atrocities and Adolf Eichmann involvement in it all (it also brought 1600 documents detailing the persecution of European Jews throughout the war and Holocaust)(Shelton 2005). Eichmann was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging in 1962). This trial showed the brutality, atrocities and evil carried out by the Nazi's during world war two. It also gave the victims a louder voice. “This decision to rely on the victims' testimonies had an enormous symbolic significance in legitimizing their words and lifting the taboo on discussing the Holocaust from the point of view of the victims, both for legal and for historical purposes” (Shelton 2005). This was the trial that first sparked Bernice Eisenstein interest in the Holocaust. It gave her her first insight into her parents tragic past and experiences (which she wasn't really getting from them).
Present day – In the present day section her father's death and funeral are examined . The present day sections takes place around a decade after the death of her father. Seeing her father's wedding ring sparks memories of her past, her parents and the Holocaust and the impact they have had on her life (how it has made her into the person she is today). It ends at her son's present day Bris Ceremony (Eisenstein, 2006).
American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE). Holocaust. Jewish Virtual Library
Anne Frank Guide (2011). Holocaust Survivors in Canada. Retrieved November 18th, 2011 from http://www.annefrankguide.net/en-Ca/bronnenbank.asp?oid=271640
Cohen, S. (n.d.) Canadian Jewry: Canada’s multicultural society has shaped its Jewish community. Retrieved November 22nd, 2011, from www.myjewishlearning.com/history/Jewish_
World_Today/Jews_Around_the_Globe/Canada.shtml
World_Today/Jews_Around_the_Globe/Canada.shtml
Eisenstein, B., (2006). I was a child of Holocaust Survivors. Toronto, On. McClelland & Stewart.
Hebrew University, (March, 28th, 2010). The Spielberg Jewish film archive – witness of Eichmann trial English. Retrieved November 28th, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X098U8_oU1Q
Israel W. & Wiesenthal S., (1999). The Holocaust – A Warning to the Murderers of Tomorrow. Encyclopedia of Genocide. California. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Career low/high points
Although there is very little detail on Bernice Eisenstein’s career, she is known to have worked as an illustrator, writer and editor. Her illustrations have appeared in a number of magazines and periodicals (Mcclelland). As a freelance editor, she has occasionally written book reviews for the Globe and Mail (Mcclelland). Most notably, as a writer, she has written a memoir called I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors (2006). Most recently, she has created a set of drawings in response to the work of Charlotte Salomon for an exhibition at Amsterdam’s Jewish Historical Museum (Graphic Detail, About the artists, 2010).
Graphic Details (2010). About the artists. Retrieved November 17th, 2011, from http://graphicdetailstheshow.wordpress.com/about-the-artists/
McClelland.com (n.d.). About this author. Retrieved November 17th, 2011 from http://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771030642&view=print
Works and Awards
Even with the details of her career obscured, you cannot hide the accomplishments that came with it. Here is a list of awards that Bernice Eisenstein has acquired throughout her successful career:
-I was a Child of Holocaust Survivors was shortlisted for the Giller Prize (Munn, Sequential, Bernice Eisenstein shortlisted for trillium award, 2007). Special Note: This was the first time a comics-related effort has been nominated for the Trillium Book Award and the Giller Prize (Munn, Sequential, Bernice Eisenstein shortlisted for trillium award, 2007).
-Finalist in 2006 for the Borders Original Voices for Non-Fiction Award (Graphic Detail, About the artists, 2010)
-Finalist 2006 for the Trillium Book Award (Graphic Detail, (Graphic Detail, About the artists, 2010).
-Winner of the Jack Chisvin Family Award in Holocaust Memoir/Literature (Munn, Sequential, 2007 in review, 2007).
Graphic Details (2010). About the artists. Retrieved Novemeber 17th, 2011, from http://graphicdetailstheshow.wordpress.com/about-the-artists/
Munn, B. (2007). 2007 in review. Retrieved November 18th, 2011, from http://sequential.spiltink.org/?p=1962
Munn, B. (2007). Bernice Eisenstein shortlisted for trillium award. Retrieved November 18th, 2011, from http://sequential.spiltink.org/2007/05/bernice-eisenstein-shortlisted-for.html
Reception and reviews
There are many, mostly positive, reviews of Bernice Eisenstein's memoir I was a child of Holocaust survivors (2006). Below will be a few examples and sources that review Eisenstein's memoir.
“...I savoured Bernice Eisenstein’s beautifully conceived and executed illustrated memoir, I was a child of Holocaust Survivors, with such wonder and, yes, pleasure”.
- Naves, the Gazette.
“Eisenstein’s is a bittersweet tale...”
- Morris, Canadian Lit.
“I was a Child of Holocaust Survivors is beautifully conceived and constructed, intimate and engrossing”
- Garvie, Quill & Quire
“The answer Bernice Eisenstein offers through her delicate art and clever words is to build, nurture, observe and revisit relationships with one loved one at a time. Whether they are a child of the Holocaust or not”.
- Tousignant
Garvie, M. (May, 2006). I was a child of Holocaust survivors. Review of the book I was a child of Holocaust survivors]. Quill & Quire. Retrieved from http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=5093
Morris, J. (2009). Holocaust anonymous. [Review of the book I was a child of Holocaust survivors]. Canadian Literature #200 (original publication). Retrieved from http://canlit.ca/reviews/holocaust_anonymous
Naves, K.N. (2006, May 6). A daughter tries to understand [Review of the book I was a child of Holocaust survivors].The Gazette . Retrieved from http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/filesNews/a445ead5577b83.pdf
Tousignant, I. (2006). I was a child of Holocaust survivors: wondering Jew. Retrieved from http://hour.ca/2006/06/15/wondering-jew/
Media appearances and other Interviews
Interviews
Had a very good interview with Bernice Eisenstein. Unfortunately it has stopped working sometime after October 28th, 2011.
Other media Appearances
Fortunately Eisenstein has made other media appearances. One of the more recent is her involvement in an animated adaption of her memoir. Eisenstein narrates her memoir in this adaption directed by Fleming. More information for this movie can be found here Below will be some clips and we recommend seeing the whole thing (it’s very good).
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All vids here:
Fukushima, M. & Flahive, G. (Producers) & Fleming, M.A. (Director). (2010) I was a child of Holocaust survivors [Motion Picture]. Canada: the National Film Board of Canada.
Images
There are two two images that can be found of Bernice Eisenstein. Please follow the links below to view them.
This photo belongs to John Silverstein and it is of Bernice Eisenstein.
This photo belongs to Michael Mitchell and it is of Bernice Eisenstein.
Influences
Bernice Eisenstein beautiful illustrations and compelling writing are both influential to many artists and writers, especially to those of us who are Illustrators. Her marriage of dream like illustration and intriguing writing is what makes her memoir stand apart from many others. However, one may wonder, what influenced her, her art, and her life? The answer to that is many different things, including other artists, family, and past events.
Illustration/Art
If you are asking me about who are the artists that have had an influence on me, who I admire and have learned from, then it's artists such as van Gogh, and Ben Shahn and Chagall and Saul Steinberg. There are others, but their sensibility, the effect their work has had on me, has been important. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011).
These influences, especially with Van Gogh are further illuminated in an illustration that can be found on page 90, which has the beautiful aesthetics and curls of many Van Gogh paintings. Though she was inspired by many artists, she has created a distinct and gorgeous style of her own, which is partially due to her next influence, her parents, family, and family friends.
Family/Friends
…Thinking is Drawing. And my book is about a process of memory into not only my past, but the past of my parents and their friends. For me, the time I spent writing and drawing was a place of discovery. So, the photographs I look at, the faces I looked into in order to feel who they were, and who they once were before I had known them, became a guide, a voice to listen to, in order to make them come alive on the page. Memory--going to another terrain--was the propelling influence, and from that, feelings of compassion and loss, helped shape the paintings. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011).
Her family also helped shape her own life in many ways. For example Judaism, its practices and traditions, is something that both Eisenstein and her parents shared, which also play a very big role in her memoir. For example, throughout her memoir one learns about Judaism’s funeral practice, and about Bris and Bar Mitzvahs, all of which are beautiful and poetically described. For example, in the very beginning of the book Eisenstein states “…I put aside the garment the Rabbi had cut, symbolic of the rendering of loss…”(Eisenstein, 2006, p.p. 11). This is very true to the funeral practices in Judaism. For example "Traditional Jewish funerals are very simple and usually relatively brief. Before they begin, the immediate relatives of the deceased-- siblings, parents, children, and spouse-- tear their garments to symbolize their loss "(Klug, 2006). In many ways religion often has great influence on a person, which I believe is applicable to Eisenstein as well.
Events
Another event that had great influence on Eisenstein’s life, art, and writing, would the death of her father, and birth of her son. These appear to be strong factors of inspiration in her memoir, as her memoir begins with his death, and ends with her son’s birth. Death and Birth are events that affect many, however what makes this particularly influential was what these represented in her memoir in correlation to her parents ring.
Eisenstein, B. (2006). I was a child of Holocaust survivors. Toronto, On: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
Klug, L.A (2011). Jewish Funeral Customs: saying goodbye to a loved on. Retrieved from
PART 2: GRAPHIC MEMOIR ANALYSIS
This section will examine Eisenstein’s memoir I was a child of Holocaust survivors. It will cover: the plot, purpose, themes, structure, significance of title, historical, social, and cultural context, outstanding scenes, characterization, and include images as well as personal reflections on how the memoir connects to each group member.
Plot Summary
In her memoir I was a child of holocaust survivors (2006), Bernice Eisenstein explores her relationship with her parents (particularly her father), with the Holocaust, and with memory itself. Rather than a generalized plot summary, each chapter will have its own summary because each contains important aspects that should not be overlooked.
Please note that beside each chapter contains a citation and page information. Most of the ideas in these summaries (except for some guesses on how appropriate the titles are) are from Eisenstein's memoir.
The Ring (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 10-17).
In this first chapter, Eisenstein is traditionally organizing and preparing her father’s things after his funeral (2006, p. 11). She spends the chapter reminiscing about her father’s funeral and she briefly touches upon the time right before he passed (this chapter first establishes her relationship with her father) (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 10-17). One of the most important parts in this chapter occurs when her mother offers her the father’s ring and explains how she acquired it during the Holocaust (on pages 12-13). Eisenstein recognizes the symbolism it held for her mother and father and the importance in holding onto it (2006, p. 14-15). For Eisenstein, the ring helps her remember and, in a way, know her father: “All of my life I have looked for more in order to fill in the parts of my father that had gone missing, and now the ring that I wear encircles that space, replacing absence with memory”(2006, p. 16). The ring is an appropriate title particularly because this chapter deals directly with a ring and because the symbolism of the ring/circle/cycles continues throughout the memoir.
Without the Holocaust (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 18-26)
In this chapter Eisenstein reminisces about her childhood and her obsession with the Holocaust describing it as being an “addiction” (2006, pp. 18-26). She explains that her obsession with the Holocaust was in a way, an attempt to understand a side of her parents that they wouldn’t show (Eisenstein, p. 21, 2006). The title is quite appropriate for this chapter because Eisenstein realizes that “without the Holocaust” she wouldn’t be who she is (2006, p. 25).
Growing New Skin (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 27-51)
In this chapter the Eisenstein talks about her parents after the Holocaust, when they came to Canada (2006, pp. 27-51). In particular, she establishes her father’s character and further establishes relationship she had with him (2006, pp. 27-51). She recalls one phone call from when she was a child from a man who wanted to thank her father for helping him during the Holocaust (2006, pp. 27-51). This is particularly important to note because it offered her insight on to a side of her father she never knew: “...for the first time, I felt my father within his own past” (2006, p. 29). Eisenstein also offers the readers her interpretation of her father quite extensively through his clothing on page 30 (which ties in well with the chapter’s titles and themes). She also describes her father’s other traits, such as his “fierce love” (Eisenstein, p. 34, 2006). She then talks in depth about her relationship and how her father did not want to talk about the past (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 27-15). Eisenstein explains what she knows of her father’s past and his family during the Holocaust (2006, pp. 27-51). She goes into her parent’s relationship, particularly about the conflicts her father’s poker playing caused (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 27-51). Eisenstein goes into detail about her father’s love of westerns and envisions him him in a heroic way (2006, pp. 27-51). The title is quite appropriate for this chapter because it deals with pain and how it lessens over time: “In time, memory is soothed, if never fully healed. A second skin covers over and they become familiar to themselves once more” (Eisenstein, p. 27, 2006).
Yiddish Holds the World (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 52-87)
In this chapter the Eisenstein tries to figure out her relation to her parents and their past particularly through language (2006, pp. 52-87). She goes into her relationship with writing the memoir and how one goes about representing the Holocaust survivors in writing (2006, pp. 52-87). In this chapter she also goes more in depth into her own past, including more details on her childhood and other relatives (2006, pp. 52-87). One of the most important parts to note in this chapter is how Eisenstein goes into the Yiddish language because in many ways it unified many aspects of her life (2006. pp. 52-57). This chapter contains more illustrations than most and they serve to explain the author’s ideals on language, the past, family, and understanding it all (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 52-87). One of the most powerful scenes occurs during this chapter and it involves her indirect relationship to her father’s two sisters and what happened to them during the holocaust (which the father was never fully aware of)(Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 52-87). The title of this chapter is appropriate especially since the author places emphasis on language: “...the past and language are fastened together” (Eisenstein, 2006, p.65).
The Meaning of Books (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 89-97)
This chapter goes into Eisenstein’s inspirations and she talks about her passion for art, cinema, and especially books (2006, pp. 89-97). For Eisenstein, books had a particular importance when it came to trying to understand the past and memory (2006, pp. 89-97). She also talks about one difficult event where she tried to show her father a book of drawings from a holocaust survivor(2006, pp. 89-97). The title of this chapter is very appropriate because the chapter goes into what books mean (in a general sense) and what books mean to her (inspiration, voice, and memory).
My Mother on Tape (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 98-113)
In this chapter, Eisenstein tells her mother’s story after watching it on tape (2006, pp. 98-113). This story illustrates the horrors of the Holocaust and yet the little joy that could be found as well. After telling her mother’s story, Eisenstein explains how her mother went back to Auschwitz for a memorial visit and she was unable to go (and how she regretted it) (2006, pp. 98-113). The title for the chapter is literally appropriate, but also appropriate in a way that watching her mother allowed the author to connect more to her mother.
I Was a Grandchild (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 116 – 129)
In this chapter Eisenstein goes into detail about her grandparents and their characteristics (2006, pp. 116-129). She briefly explains their experiences during the Holocaust (particularly the grandfather) (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 116-129). She talks about one event in which she wanted to stay at her grandparent’s while they were away but ultimately decided not to let her (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 116-129). She continues to try to understand grandparents she never knew all that well (Eisenstein, pp. 116-129). The title is quite appropriate because it shows her actual relationship to her grandparents (in a blunt and factual sort of way).
Two Brothers, Two Sisters (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 130 – 145)
In this chapter, Eisenstein tries to understand the relationships and perspectives of her father, mother, and their siblings (her uncle and aunt) (2006, pp. 130-145). She goes into the Holocaust from the perspective of the connections and bonds that were formed between her father and mother and his brother and her sister (her mother and aunt were sisters and her father and uncle were brothers) (2006, pp. 130-145). She particularly explains more about what her aunt and uncle were like (2006, pp. 130-145). The title is very appropriate because although she acknowledges the relationship she her parents and their siblings had with each other, while being an observer.
The Glass Cabinet (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 146 – 155)
In this chapter, Eisenstein remarks on the importance of objects and the memories they hold (2006, pp. 146-155). She talks about one event in which an object allowed her father to freely communicate about his past (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 146-155). It was this event that made her have some understanding with her father: “He had given me a compass with which I could find my way to where he wanted his own memories to begin” (2006, pp.154, which is followed by an illustration of her father with his wife and child). The title is quite appropriate because her parents had a glass cabinet that held their memories.
The Group (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 156 – 179)
In this chapter, Eisenstein talks about her parent’s friends, fellow Holocaust survivors, and calls them the “group”(2006, pp. 156 – 179). She explains how close they were and how tragedy brought them together (major theme) (2006, pp. 156 – 179). She goes into detail about each group member and what happens to them (2006, pp. 156 – 179). While this chapter has sad moments, Eisenstein also talks about happier times, and there are quite a few humorous and warm scenes (2006, pp. 156 – 179). She explains her own interactions with the group and her relationship (she remarks on one particular visit she has with Bluma, a group member) (2006, pp. 156 – 179). She also talks about her interactions with Holocaust survivors while at the Washington Holocaust museum (2006, pp. 156 – 179). A very pivotal part occurs in this chapter when Eisenstein states: “I will never be able to know the truth of what my parents had experienced...to know the full extent of their loss” (2006, p. 178). The title of this chapter is quite appropriate because it seems many Holocaust survivors were connected through tragedy.
A Naming (Eisenstein, 2006, pp. 180 – 187).
This final chapter (like the first) takes place more recently (more in the present) than in memory (unlike most other chapters)(2006, pp. 180 – 187). Eisenstein explains in more detail the time just before her father dies and some time before she has her own child (this circles back nicely to the first chapter)(2006, pp. 180 – 187). One scene that is particularly touching is when her father says to her on his death bed that she carries his name (Eisenstein, 2006, p.186). She also explains her son’s Bris, which place sometime after her father’s death (2006, pp. 180 – 187). It is clear that the author names her son after her father (2006, pp. 180 – 187). In this way, the title of the chapter is appropriate because it connects a sad event with a joyous one and it illustrates the cycle of life.
Eisenstein, B. (2006). I was a child of Holocaust survivors. Toronto, On: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
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