Letters Reveal Poignant, Poetic Strength
Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse
Dear Saralinda*:
In drama, there is a literary device known as "a play within a play." The most famous example of this is Shakespeare's Hamlet where actors who are playing the role of actors perform for the Danish court.
The reason I tell you this is because I feel as though I'm using a corrupt form of that device to introduce you to Karen Hesse's Letters From Rifka. For I find myself writing you a letter to tell you about a book of letters.
There is a crucial difference, though. Rifka's letters are carefully structured to provide a fast-moving, heart-rending plot. My letter is more akin to a critical essay. It examines and reveals, but doesn't tell a story on its own. The fact that both Hesse and I employ letters for different literary purposes illustrates how flexible that device is-and, perhaps, how much can be communicated through a letter beyond exchanges of pleasantries and news.
Letters from Rifka tells the story of a Jewish Russian girl in 1919. The Jews in Russia at that time were heavily persecuted. They were forced to live in ghettos, denied the right to own property, forbidden to own more than two of any given object, and restricted from traveling. On numerous occasions, their neighbors would invade their settlements, loot their property, and beat or murder the Jews that they met.
Rifka's family decided they wanted to escape all this. The book begins with Rifka's first letter to her cousin-a letter that can never be delivered as the cousin stays behind in Russia and her family cannot risk them knowing anything about their escape. Rifka shares the harrowing tale of their escape from Russia and the bravery she, her mother, father, and two brothers must show.
Her subsequent letters describe in detail her culture shock as she travels through the lands that will take her to the United States-a country where her family will have freedom, life, and the opportunity to earn a living.
Rifka's shock at the culture is nothing compared to the shock she receives when the family applies for their passage to America. Due to an act of kindness she performed for one of her fellow refugees, Rifka contracted a skin condition (ringworm) that meant she couldn't go with her family. They sailed to America without her, leaving her in the care of a Belgian couple while she healed.
While this story sounds very heavy, I was surprised at how upbeat it ultimately was. Yes, Rifka's family endures horrors and Hesse describes Rifka's heartbreak at being left alone in a poignant manner. Yet, Letters from Rifka is not a story about the horrors the family endures. It is a story about a young girl's courage and her ability to overcome whatever barriers she meets. It is the story of a girl becoming a woman and having to do it alone.
It is also a story of kindnesses. While Rifka and her family must deal with people who are very bigoted, they also meet people who are generous and who depend on each other for survival. We see how people discover talents and abilities when they reach out to others.
One of the advantages to using letters as the means to tell the story is that Hesse is able to open a window into Rifka's heart. I think it is impossible to write anything of a personal nature (essays, letters, stories, poems, etc.) without revealing something of your own character, personality, and inner voice. So we are given a peek into Rifka's heart and can see-often long before she can-the power and strength she has to tap into.
In the book's introduction, Karen Hesse talks about the origins of this story. She wanted to write about her family's migration from Russia to the United States. She was able to find very little information until she was directed to her great-aunt Lucy. After a phone call, a tape recording, and a lengthy visit, Hesse took her aunt's story and made it into Letters from Rifka. She changed the names and some of the details, but for the most part, the letters that Hesse composed tell a true story of her great aunt's childhood.
The Jewish Book Council gave this book the National Jewish Book Award and schools around the country have added it to their curriculum. In fact, in a lesson plan from Maine's collaborative project I found an activity that you and your mom might enjoy:
The clothes that Rifka's family and other immigrants brought to America were often unique to their land of birth. These clothes were reminders that they were now separated from all that they had ever known and loved - people, places, and events of a life that was now past. Parts of such cloth were sometimes made into "keeping quilts". To design your own keeping quilts, begin by thinking about the people, places, and events of your life. Collect (by making a list, perhaps with sketches) materials -- scarves and ties, curtains and tablecloths, pillow covers and articles of clothing that you don't ever want to forget. Now plan each quilt; the design of the quilts themselves can serve as a part of the memory. Use large sheets of construction paper, 18" x 24". Fill in the design and border with recreated patterns and colors of the 'collected' materials. On other sheets the same size, make a 'key' or 'legend' for the quilts. Start with a column of 1" or 2" squares, each filled with the pattern and color of one of the chosen materials. Next to each square write an explanation of what it represents and why it was selected. You may wish to design a quilt for Rifka, using blue and black velvet from her Belgian hat, a pattern from Saul's knickers, one from father's prayer shawl, and so on.
The author, Karen Hesse, began writing when she was 40 and has written several books for young adults. She says she prefers writing for young adults because she finds them challenging, rewarding, and demanding. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather write for," she said.
I can't wait to hear what you think of this book. I hope you find it as powerful and moving as I did.
Love,
Aunt Bridgette
