The Holocaust was a barbaric event, a genocide that left millions of innocent civilians and soldiers dead. Although many groups were targeted during Hitler's tyranny, Jews often faced the worst torment. Considered less than human, those who were Jewish were methodically removed from their homes, subjected to hate crimes, and massacred in an effort to carry out the disgusting agenda of the Nazi Party. Hatred of Jews and other minorities mainly came from misinformation, racism, and the idea that Germans were the superior race. In fact, Hitler intended to create a perfect German race, called the Aryan race, by eliminating those he considered to have less desirable characteristics. The cruelty of the Nazis was staggering and was harshly condemned by the rest of the world after the Germans' defeat. However, before Germany's defeat, many people were unaware of the ongoing genocide or the appalling conditions of the concentration camps. Yet, thanks to the Nazis' meticulous and detailed records, the world eventually learned that millions of people had died unjustly. Understanding the extreme cruelty of the Nazis' actions, many people, after thinking about this event, do not understand how or why it was possible to ignore or justify the ongoing massacre. Monica Hesse, in her novel The Girl in the Blue Coat, writes the profound story of a young Dutch girl named Hanneke who currently resides in Holland, a country occupied by the Nazis for two years. History shows how inaction against the Nazis often came from fear, ignorance, or naivety rather than a blatant disregard for the value of human life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayIn the beginning, the novel introduced Hanneke, a young Dutch girl who passionately resents the Nazis. Despite the fact that her hatred for the Nazi Party runs deep, Hanneke is often described as having Aryan qualities, implying that she faces less discrimination than many others. Yet whatever advantages her appearance brings her, Hanneke has not had an easy or painless life. Due to her father's disability, Hanneke is forced to take on the role of primary breadwinner, which often strains her family relationships. Although her mother wants Hanneke to continue playing the role of an obedient child, it is difficult for Hanneke to listen to her parents when she is caring for her family rather than the other way around. She works in the black market, finding and selling what many today consider commodities, like meat or makeup. Although many today view her work as an innocent means of income, she would be arrested and perhaps even executed if captured by the Nazis. The Nazi occupation of the Netherlands apparently uprooted and fundamentally changed his once basic and normal life. Throughout the novel, Hanneke often mourns the death of Bas, her former boyfriend who died tragically in the early days of the Nazi occupation. Bas' death left Hanneke a mere shell of the once warm and naive girl she was. She also mourns the loss of her best friend, Elsbeth, who lost contact with Hanneke after realizing that their positions on the Nazi occupation could not be reconciled. . Although she repeatedly details the regret and remorse she feels for these two characters, what happened to them remains shrouded in mystery. Eventually, Hanneke reveals the nature of Bas' death, explaining howBas died while bravely fighting against the Nazis. Although she feels a great deal of remorse for Bas, Hanneke also discusses the guilt she feels over Bas' death. Her naive perception of war and death led her to push Bas to enlist in the army, which would eventually lead to his death. These old errors weigh heavily on his conscience and cause many inner troubles. Hanneke also reveals the troubled friendship between her and Elsbeth, who is now the wife of a Nazi. Unable to accept Elsbeth's affiliation with the Nazis or her support for their occupation of Holland, Hanneke often struggles to reconcile her once-kind friend with a Nazi sympathizer. It is shocking, in a way, to learn of Elsbeth's kind and generous ways while also understanding that she supports the brutal and cruel Nazi Party. The novel is peppered with flashbacks of Bas and Elsbeth, often showing their compassionate and kind sides, which only makes Hanneke more aware of her losses. She seems unable to move away from these two characters, choosing instead to treasure their memories despite the heartache it brings her. Although Hanneke resents the Nazis, mainly because of their occupation of her country, her resentment is overshadowed by her ignorance. . Hanneke ignores the horrible conditions of the concentration camps and doesn't really recognize the symptoms of the disease that is genocide. At the beginning of the novel, Hanneke is hired by a woman named Mrs. Jannsen to find a young Jewish girl named Mirjam and bring her back safe and sound. As Hanneke struggles to discover what happened to Mirjam, readers witness Hanneke's metamorphosis from a naïve bystander focused on her own survival to a courageous participant in the resistance to Nazi occupation. His changes are profound, despite his constant hesitation to become more involved in the resistance. Although her hesitation is somewhat frustrating at times, I feel like Monica Hesse realistically portrays the thoughts and feelings of a frightened young girl who could face serious consequences if caught by the Nazis. Another essential character in this novel is Mirjam, the Jewish girl Hanneke searches for throughout the book. When Hanneke is first hired to search for this young girl, Mirjam is just a faceless missing person, another victim of the brutal Nazi regime. But as Hanneke learns about this girl, she discovers the person behind the victim, a person with goals, aspirations, and experiences. Hanneke discovers how Mirjam excelled in her classes, was best friends with a girl named Amalia, and often pretended to be an English princess. Miriam is simply a young girl who sometimes annoyed her classmates and often played with friends. At the same time, Mirjam's innocence seems to symbolize the millions of innocent bystanders who died for no reason. In a way, Miriam is both a person with aspirations and the face of the millions slaughtered, an unusual and contradictory parallel. Mirjam's location, for the most part, is the main conflict Hanneke is forced to face throughout the book, leaving Hanneke struggling to find answers. Yet despite the trouble Mirjam's disappearance brings Hanneke, the situation forces Hanneke to face her own personal problems, something she had simply been putting off. Mirjam was the catalyst for this story, the person who encouraged Hanneke to discover her own inner strength and accept her actions that led to the absence of Bas and Elsbeth in her life. In The Girl in the Blue Coat, there were several themes.