The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Themes
Freedom and Confinement
Some people believe that animals shouldn't be kept in zoos. Others believe that zoos are okay, as long as the animals feel like they're in their natural environment. And others just go see Zootopia...
Loyalty
It's absurd to think about, but had Twitter existed back in the 1940s, the #TeamHitler hashtag would be trending. When the war comes to Poland, Jan and Antonina need to choose sides. It's not reall...
Warfare
You don't usually think of wars when you think of zoos, unless the little-known chimpanzee vs. bonobo conflict at the Bronx Zoo in 1976 comes to mind. But in The Zookeeper's Wife, the Warsaw Zoo ge...
Compassion and Forgiveness
You can't spell "compassion" without "compass," as in "moral compass." Yeah, well, Antonina, The Zookeeper's Wife of the title, may be so in tune with nature that she doesn't even need an actual co...
Courage
Small dogs don't realize that they're small. This can cause them to stand up to bigger animals in stand-offs that seem like huge acts of bravery.In The Zookeeper's Wife, Jan and Antonina are small...
Family
During World War II, the Allied powers included the United States, Britain, France, and Poland, among many others. These countries became a temporary family, fighting against evil. Another group of...
The Home
What is your dream home? A beach house on the Mediterranean? A micro-home where your bed folds out into a shower? A bubble on the moon? If you said "in a zoo," then you're either Matt Damon or Jan...
Fear
War is scary. Do we really need to go into detail? Soldiers could bust up in your house at any minute and take control of it or shoot you. Bombs are falling from the sky. Friends and relatives are...