"The Jew was filthy."

This is from page 209 when they're cleaning Max. Of course it could be taken very literally. He has gone a long time without bathing since he never had the chance and I don't think everyone showered daily back in early 40's Germany, especially the poor. But filthy is also one of the many words the Nazis would have used to describe not just him, but any Jew (even the ones that just got done bathing). It's unfortunate though that he did have to fulfil on of the descriptions that the Nazis gave the Jews, but at least it was in a literal way and that he wasn't filthy as a person. I had more to go on about that one sentence, but I read it late at night, so I've forgotten most of what I was planning on writing in 18 or so hours of sleep and college.

Another line that stuck out was "The Jewish rat, back in his hole,"(p. 215). In a way, he was like a rat since he was hiding in the basement, which I think would be a normal place for them to hide. I'm not saying that he is a rat, but it just happens to be the case (on that note, we can call Anne Frank a squirrel because she hides in the attic, nothing against her either, just pointing it out). It reminds me of a part from Inglourious Basterds. The high ranking SS officer had the nickname "the Jew Hunter" for his ability to find hidden ones so easily. He would go on to say that he respected them and considered rat to be a compliment. He said the life of a rat is tough, and even if they do nothing to bring forth dislike towards them, they're still greeted with a shoe or such when they walk in the door, where a squirrel would not receive as much (yet they still had to be jerks and take her away...). He said the only way they could survive is by hiding like a rat would, and that hiding helped them survive, and he respected the strength of their will to do so.

Since I got far off track from where I became with that line, I'll try to sum it up. It was due to his situation that he was a rat. The Nazis may have called the Jew rats, but that was because they forced the Jewish people to become them and hide for their survival, much like a real rat. It was the time and place that caused them to bear such a terrible name. If anyone is to call a Jew a rat, they are obviously racist/anti-Semitic and should be ignored due to their closed-mindedness.

(This is a touchy subject and I walked a thin line on this one I believe, so if I have offended anyone, I apologize. I have nothing against Jews at all. My best friend in Massachusetts is Jewish, if that helps prove my point.)