Max V.S. Hitler

[zevgreen]

What's the significance of Max's boxing match with Hitler (page 251-254)?  During the bout, Max knocks Hitler to the floor. But instead of trying to get back in the fight, Hitler takes his gloves off and convinces the audience to help him beat Max up, which they do.  What's the symbolism?

[sarawittig]

The symbolism in the boxing match between Max and Hitler resembled how the Fuhrer did not fight his own battles, but instead enjoyed influencing others to the point where they fought on his behalf voluntarily. The significance of this battle was that it helped better explain Hitlers tactics and the position Max was trapped in, having an entire country against him and his belief/people.

[ashleyyoon]

The symbolism in Max's fantasy of Hitler convincing the audience to beat Max up is somewhat the feeling of fear and angst. Hitler using the audience for his own benefit could have been driven through the fear of loss. Hitler could have recruited young children into his grasp as a war tactic through concern for his own victory.

[faithadler]

I believe that the fights symbolized that this war was one very much influenced by the words of their leader, Hitler, rather than being lead by what he physically did. When the going got rough in Hitler's fight against Max, he called upon his followers to help instead of directly dealing with him.

[baazjhaj]

The Symbolism is that Hitler did not fight, he brainwashed people into doing things for him. Whoever something got to difficult he asked his followers to do things for him.

[claireaspeitia]

I vividly remember Alter Wiener, the Holocaust survivor who spoke to Lakeridge jr High. I remember him saying that although he was a terrible person, Hitler was an incredible politician. He had a way with words, a way where he could convince anyone to do anything, no matter how horrible. I think him getting the audience observing the fight to help him in beating Max, symbolizes that.

[alexhammond]

Max loosing this fight symbolizes how he felt no fear or defeat by Hitler himself, his disappointment came form all those that stood behind his beliefs and wanted him to loose. Max lost this fight because he felt defeated by society, like he would never defeat all those people who had been trained to hate him.

[hannahnegri]

The symbolism is that Max feels like it's his country that's beating him up, not even the man influencing them. The people around him are the ones he sees, not the invisible puppet master behind the stage, far away from. Hitler was the reason behind Max's misfortune, but he wasn't the one carrying it out.

[ariokamura]

The symbolism is that Max feels like his country is killing him. They make him weak and inferior with just their size. It's as if Max is trying to find blame for the entire country because of what they did to him and people like him. Hitler is the reason he is helpless (Max decided). He's the reason Max is struggling and that's why Max needs to suffer the trauma of constantly fighting his communities' biggest rival.

[keelylipp]

The fight symbolizes the fact that Hitler didn't do anything to prove that he was a leader, and that Jews were bad people deserving of unimaginable punishment, but still people followed him blindly on his quest.

[benjaminconnor]

This symbolizes how Hitler didn't become a leader through fighting. “Yes, the Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. ‘I will never fire a gun,’ he devised. I will not have to’… While the words were growing, our young Führer also planted seeds to create symbols, and these, too, were well on their way to full bloom. Now the time had come. The Führer was ready” (Zusak 445). Hitler didn't need to rely on his own physical strength when he could rely on his oratorical might to convince those around him to fight for him. He never needed to fight his own battles, or, as shown in the quote above, fire a gun, when he could convince his country.