The Devil’s Arithmetic

by

Jane Yolen

Shmuel Character Analysis

Shmuel is Gitl’s kind brother who looks out for Hannah in the past as if she were his own daughter. Shmuel is about to marry Fayge, but this joyful ceremony is interrupted when the Nazis forcibly relocate everyone in his shtetl to a concentration camp. At the camp, Shmuel gets assigned to difficult woodcutting work and Hannah sees little of him, as the concentration camp is strictly separated by gender. Ultimately, Shmuel dies after a failed escape attempt that allows his friend Yitzchak to escape successfully. Like his sister Gitl, Shmuel is generous and is willing to make sacrifices for others.

Shmuel Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic

The The Devil’s Arithmetic quotes below are all either spoken by Shmuel or refer to Shmuel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Memory Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

“Never mind, little Chaya, never mind,” Gitl said. “Shmuel and I—we are your family now.”

Related Characters: Gitl (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Shmuel, Mother, Father
Page Number: 31
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

“But if there is no Old Rochelle, how can there be a New?” Shmuel mused out loud. “Perhaps there is a Rochelle all alone, though the child does not know it.”

Related Characters: Shmuel (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Gitl, Fayge
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Photographs of Grandma’s family but none of Grandpa Will’s, because, Aunt Eva had once explained, no photographs had been saved in the death camps. “We are our own photos. Those pictures are engraved only in our memories. When we are gone, they are gone.”

Related Characters: Rivka/Aunt Eva (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Gitl, Shmuel, Grandpa Will
Related Symbols: Tattoo
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Pretty girl, with faraway eyes,
Why do you look with such surprise?
How did you get to be so wise,
Old girl in young-girl disguise.

Related Characters: The Badchan (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Shmuel, Fayge, Shifre, Esther, Rachel
Page Number: 55
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

“The men down there,” she cried out desperately, “they’re not wedding guests. They’re Nazis. Nazis! Do you understand? They kill people. They killed—kill—will kill Jews. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. Six million of them! I know. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. We have to turn the wagons around. We have to run!”

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya (speaker), Gitl, Shmuel, The Rabbi
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“Of course, Jew,” came the officer’s voice. “And then my men will move among you and take your papers and jewelry for safekeeping.”

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya, Gitl, Shmuel
Page Number: 75
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

“If something happens to us, you must remember. Promise me, Chaya, you will remember.”

Hannah’s lips moved but no sound came out.

“Promise.”

“I will remember.” The words forced themselves out through her stiffened lips.

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya (speaker), Gitl (speaker), Shmuel, Yitzchak
Page Number: 144
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

When it was silent at last, the commandant threw the shoes on top of Fayge’s body. “Let them all go up the stack,” he said. “Call the Kommandos. Schnell!”

Related Characters: The Commandant (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Shmuel, Fayge, Grandpa Will
Related Symbols: Chimneys
Page Number: 159
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Devil’s Arithmetic PDF

Shmuel Quotes in The Devil’s Arithmetic

The The Devil’s Arithmetic quotes below are all either spoken by Shmuel or refer to Shmuel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Memory Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

“Never mind, little Chaya, never mind,” Gitl said. “Shmuel and I—we are your family now.”

Related Characters: Gitl (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Shmuel, Mother, Father
Page Number: 31
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

“But if there is no Old Rochelle, how can there be a New?” Shmuel mused out loud. “Perhaps there is a Rochelle all alone, though the child does not know it.”

Related Characters: Shmuel (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Gitl, Fayge
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Photographs of Grandma’s family but none of Grandpa Will’s, because, Aunt Eva had once explained, no photographs had been saved in the death camps. “We are our own photos. Those pictures are engraved only in our memories. When we are gone, they are gone.”

Related Characters: Rivka/Aunt Eva (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Gitl, Shmuel, Grandpa Will
Related Symbols: Tattoo
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Pretty girl, with faraway eyes,
Why do you look with such surprise?
How did you get to be so wise,
Old girl in young-girl disguise.

Related Characters: The Badchan (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Shmuel, Fayge, Shifre, Esther, Rachel
Page Number: 55
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

“The men down there,” she cried out desperately, “they’re not wedding guests. They’re Nazis. Nazis! Do you understand? They kill people. They killed—kill—will kill Jews. Hundreds of them. Thousands of them. Six million of them! I know. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. We have to turn the wagons around. We have to run!”

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya (speaker), Gitl, Shmuel, The Rabbi
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

“Of course, Jew,” came the officer’s voice. “And then my men will move among you and take your papers and jewelry for safekeeping.”

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya, Gitl, Shmuel
Page Number: 75
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 17 Quotes

“If something happens to us, you must remember. Promise me, Chaya, you will remember.”

Hannah’s lips moved but no sound came out.

“Promise.”

“I will remember.” The words forced themselves out through her stiffened lips.

Related Characters: Hannah/Chaya (speaker), Gitl (speaker), Shmuel, Yitzchak
Page Number: 144
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

When it was silent at last, the commandant threw the shoes on top of Fayge’s body. “Let them all go up the stack,” he said. “Call the Kommandos. Schnell!”

Related Characters: The Commandant (speaker), Hannah/Chaya, Rivka/Aunt Eva , Shmuel, Fayge, Grandpa Will
Related Symbols: Chimneys
Page Number: 159
Explanation and Analysis: