50 pages • 1 hour read
The Truce
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Essay Topics
How does Levi’s memoir wrestle with the intersection between past and present? What role does nostalgia play in his experiences in the memoir?
Compare and contrast the depiction of German and Russian soldiers in The Truce. How do these depictions help illustrate Levi’s experiences of war, persecution, and/or life as a survivor?
Analyze the depiction of Mordo Nahum. How does Levi portray him? How does the amorality of Nahum and Cesare contrast with some of the ethical conceptions and dilemmas of Levi and some of the other figures in the text?
To what extent does Levi’s relationship with his Jewish and Italian identity change over the course of the book? How does his sense of self change?
Levi wrestles with the legacy of the Holocaust in the memoir. How does Levi bear witness to his suffering and that of others? In what ways do first-person testimonies aid our historical understanding of this event?
How does the memoir explore the nature of trauma? What forms does trauma take in the text? How do different figures respond to the pressures of trauma?
Communication is both vital and yet complicated in the text. How does Levi explore the possibilities and limitations of communication and language in the memoir?
How does Levi depict post-war Europe during his journey home? What do his experiences reveal about life in the immediate aftermath of World War II?
Analyze the relationship between the personal and the communal in the memoir. How does the memoir explore the nature of belonging and community?
Compare and contrast The Truce to If This Is a Man. What key themes and ideas do the two memoirs share in common? How does reading one inform your understanding of the other?
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