Survival

Throughout her novel, The Postcard, Berest thematically examines survival. Toward the outset of the narrative, when the Rabinovitch family resolves to leave Palestine and immigrate to France, Emma exclaims about the Eiffel Tower, but Myriam understands “the message beneath the lighthearted speech” (52). Even as a child, Myriam recognizes that “the only way to keep from suffering, [is] just to keep moving forward, to keep going, and never, never look back” (52). The author includes this moment in order to suggest that persistence is inextricable from survival. The individual must continue to fight for their sovereignty, integrity, and future through any means. If the Rabinovitch family had stayed in Palestine, their economic situation would have continued to deteriorate. The move is a desperate attempt to ensure their survival.

Later, in Chapter 22, Berest continues her examination of survival through Vincent and Myriam’s experience after the war. Like other...