Meanwhile, her husband distanced himself from the entire group, wanting to turn them all over to the authorities. In the end, however, it is the Swiss husband who pays for his association. In an attempt to help the refugees escape, he is caught and ordered to prison. During this, his wife sits at home burning the papers and scraps of evidence the condemned refugees had left behind, hoping nothing would link them to her. It is the scene in the village that really defines Swiss reaction to the Holocaust: half of the people in the crowd were happy to see them go, and could care less for their fate. The other half wailed in sympathy, knowing what wai!.
ted on the other side of the border. No one did anything, either way. As policy mandated, the boat was full, and no room could be made, so the weakest, the most defenseless were tossed to the sharks. .
Similar to this mentality is that of the characters in Au Revior, Les Enfantes. Instead of a village, we have an isolated community of boys. To them, the effects of the war extend no farther than the food rationing, and there is little mention of war atrocities at all. Of what is mentioned, there is little concern minded to it. If this sample demographic is accurate, we must assume that the French community existed in passive acceptance of the German regime. Only isolated pockets showed any concern or resistance. The priest who harbors the young Jewish boys, and the waiter who defends his Jewish customer, for example. It seems that most French people at the time were more afraid for themselves and the fate of the Jews. Can they be blamed for this attitude? Prisoners in the concentration camps were forced to act in an "every man for himself" manner. While it was a necessity for survival in detention, the French attitude of Laize" Faire was chosen, not mandated. .
Just as the Swiss couple went through changes of heart and mind in The Boat is Full, so did Julian in Les Enfantes.
