"Village of a million spirit"s by MacMillan.

Essay by goodlifeCollege, UndergraduateA-, October 2003

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Central Truth

The central truth of this novel is simply the importance of survival and what individuals must go through in order to achieve it. People must survive in order to carry on the message of the ones that have perished. Even if in the end only one survived, this would be enough to pass on the message of the horror that millions have endured. "Tadeusz Chmielewski was the first person I told about Treblinka...And I found that in telling him, I had forgotten nothing. Then I thought it was because I was able to tell him, I had forgotten nothing. It was along time ago, but I remember everything."(pg254) This quote is a great illustrating of how these people knew that they couldn't change the outcome of what was happening, but they could continue to share it with others. By keeping the message alive, it kept alive the spirits of the dead; by sharing it with others was what kept it fresh in their minds.

These people experienced something most wouldn't even dream of, what makes this situation worse was that they had no choice. It was either you work or be shot. The Germans had searched the dead for valuables such as gold teeth, rings, watches, and other personal items. After which the bodies were carried to the "roast" to be burned in order to eliminate the powerful stench form their decomposing bodies, but more importantly to hide the truth of what went on in these camps. Many fought for their survival so the truth could be learned of what the Germans accomplished.

The purpose of the central truth is to illustrate to the reader what kept the victims going at a time were life seemed to be uncertain for so many. The need to explain what happened...