Ignored Warnings: The Jewish Cassandra Complex in Nazi Germany

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Prior to Anton Drexler’s Nazi Party being in power, many Jews were loyal to Germany. In fact, several thousand Jews fought for Germany during WWI. The Cassandra complex is based on a tale in Green Mythology. Cassandra was given the ability to predict the future, it was in vain because no one cared to listen because no one would believe her warnings. Just like Cassandra, both Moishe and Mrs. Schächter have been given a gift as well as a curse. In the beginning, the very idea of mass genocide was preposterous considering the fact 10’00 Jews thought for Germany in WWI. It was comprehendible to them that the country they were born in; the country they served; and the country they prospered in would turn its back against them and instigate the slaughter of 6 million Jews. Moishe’s persistence to warn everyone about the potential danger was all in vain. The report of the atrocities he has witnessed is faced with doubt and insult due to his reputation of being slightly crazy and eccentric. Some considered the possibility, “that he had gone mad” (Wiesel 7). What reason could the Jews have for accepting such difficult information after living a quiet life without any disturbances. Despite the vividness and …show more content…

Schächter have been repeatedly ignored for their warnings of the impending danger, that is the Holocaust. Every warning involving the potential slaughter of Jews was silenced and rather than following their advice they choose to continue with their lives. The human condition has the ability to recognize right from wrong, yet one cannot fully deny that humans are selfish creatures capable of shockingly cruel acts of brutality like genocide, torture and other various forms of dehumanization. The Jews of Sighet were given the opportunity to escape their fate with the help Moishe the beadle. Elie Wiesel employs several characters to emphasize the Jews’ unwillingness to accept the harsh reality being offered to

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