The Book of Lost Names

In times of great peril, a person is defined by the choices they make. Some choose great power, while others choose great love; some put their own desires first, while others sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity.

During the horrors of the Nazi reign, the massive deportation and execution of millions of innocent Jewish civilians begs the question of how members of humanity be so depraved as to participate in such activity. Although the novel does not showcase any true Nazis as characters—aside from Erich who later repents—it contains numerous civilians who choose to side with the Nazis in pursuit of personal gain. Take Madame Fontain, for instance: As a mother with two children, Fontain should sympathize with the hundreds of thousands of Jewish children facing barbaric treatment after their parents’ arrests. Instead, Fontain applauds that “they got one of [them], at least” (41) after Tatuś’s arrest, angry that the entire Traube family wasn’t swept up in the raid. In war, everyone has choices, and Fontain chooses to side with those with the most power at the time: the Nazis. However, it is her lack of personal integrity that equates her with the darkness of Nazi evil.