Escapism

The escapism demonstrated by the characters within the novel shows the boundaries of what the human spirit may withstand. Although they must all contend with varying levels of comfort and distress as German Jewish immigrants, they must maintain a facade of normalcy to the larger society, contributing all the more to individual delusions of escape and return to a pre-war vision of their country.

Initially, Annelise is incredibly heartbroken to leave Germany because she had built her life as wife, mother, and daughter there. Leaving her home under such inauspicious circumstances cultivated a fear of living in the United States and having to remake her whole life. Despite this, she finds small pockets of joy in the prospect of her new life. Aboard the ship she feels like “She’s suspended—between heartbreak and possibility, regret and relief. Soothed, despite the aching; eased, despite her fear...