Issues raised in The Fiftieth Gate
The power of traumatic experience in shaping a person’s life
The experiences of Jewish refugees in Australia after the Second World War
The struggle of the children of Holocaust survivors to understand, respect and move on from their parents experiences
The cultural life of Jewish Australians
The effect of the Holocaust on Jewish thought, culture and community
The role of memory and remembrance
The experiences of Jewish refugees in Australia after the Second World War
The struggle of the children of Holocaust survivors to understand, respect and move on from their parents experiences
The cultural life of Jewish Australians
The effect of the Holocaust on Jewish thought, culture and community
The role of memory and remembrance
Structure and Style
Essentially a biography of Bakers parents narrated by its author, Mark Baker
Subtitled, A Journey through Memory which suggests the book is comprised of reminiscences from his parents about their lives and experiences during the 1930s and 1940s
Baker, a Melbourne academic, supplements their stories with material from his own research
Heavy accents of his parents conveyed in his spelling
No authorial distance between Baker and the material he records
Includes documents from his research in the book
Includes reconstructions of events
Includes records of his parents speaking about their memories on tape and records of his conversations with them
Subtitled, A Journey through Memory which suggests the book is comprised of reminiscences from his parents about their lives and experiences during the 1930s and 1940s
Baker, a Melbourne academic, supplements their stories with material from his own research
Heavy accents of his parents conveyed in his spelling
No authorial distance between Baker and the material he records
Includes documents from his research in the book
Includes reconstructions of events
Includes records of his parents speaking about their memories on tape and records of his conversations with them