If I Should Die Before I wake: Han Nolan

Page- 15

Prompt- Describe the what you read and how would the main character be looked at in todays society.

     The main character, Hilary, is very angry person. The book takes place in WW2 and she is a follower of Hitler. Her and hey friends and boyfriend. So far, she has been in a motorcycle accident and she is critically injured and is a JEWISH hospital which she is furious about. From the very beginning, she is insulting this little jewish lady. Saying horrible crude things to her. However, it is just in her mind. For some odd reason she feels so much anger at the lady, especially because she is looking at her with understanding. The woman to Hilary.

     Also, Hilary has just woken up from a really unusual dream. At least for Hilary. She was a Jewish girl. Her and her friend were forced to where the star of David just like ever other Jewish person. On their way to school, they are stopped by 2 soldiers and take to possible hospital and are forced to clean with their tights instead of rags. Most of the people in the dream were random people but she did know her neighbor who was cleaning with her and when she saw her in the dream, she felt a little bit of comfort until a solider almost threatened to shoot her if she didn't stop talking. After cleaning, they are able to go home. When dream Hilary and her neighbor are running, she hears a lot of commotion in the town square and her dream dads yell. She immediately runs towards the soldiers who had out her father hanging on a tree by his clothes and she demanded them to stop. When they laughed in her face, she asked why they were doing this and they said that her father had went to lean on the tree because he was tired and could no longer work so they "helped" him out by putting him on the tree for everyone to see. She then said that she would do the work and in return, they take him down. They agree and take her over to her fathers place. As she is working she hears a gunshot go off and knows exactly who they shot and without knowing it, she is screaming in paint until she realizes it isn't her voice screaming and stops. Afterwards. she wakes up startled only to still see the little Jewish woman and continue to make fun of her.

     I feel that Hilary would not fit in good at all in todays society. Especially in America. In the book, she is in Germany so it was really common back then over there but then and now, we never thought that Jewish people were "children of satan" as stated in the book. We have also adapted to make people feel equal and to not discriminate. Not every single human being in America feels this way but most do so.She would most likely not be welcomed by most people because her opinions are so strong and sever that people may be scared by the person or scared they may start believing what they do. Now, I don't think that she would definitely be shooed away and have no one care about her but she would most likely be seen as an outcast.