Those Choice-less Choices.

“But I couldn’t hesitate. I just had to do it. I aimed the gun through the window, straight at the center of his back, then pulled the trigger”- Halina, pg. 141 and 142, Escaping into the Night

I thought this quote was beautifully written, it is short but powerful and meaningful. It reflects on her options; it’s her choiceless choice. She really has no choice, either let Batya die, or all escape safely and shoot a Nazi in the process, so she really had no choice. I think that was the best choice for their situation, and I think about how hard it must’ve been for Halina and Rueven to shoot an officer, because I’m sure 13 year olds don’t want to take anyone's life away! I’m sure many people had to go through this as well while in the Holocaust, even in the Holocaust museum there was a woman talking about in an interview, that she had to shoot an officer in her own building so the children she was sheltering would be safe. I would never want to be in that situation, especially at this age, but whatever it takes for you to survive and to help your loved ones survive.

A real life connection I have to make would have to be relating this to the homeless, and people living in the streets or in poverty. It’s kind of a weird connection, because most homeless people don’t go out and shoot officers, but they share a strong connection of doing anything to survive. They beg for food, money, and help, and do what they have to do to make it through to another day. They both struggle to find food and its hard to have good hygiene, or maintain being healthy. So they compare a lot to each other, especially with shooting the officer, expressing the will to survive.