The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story Chapter 4 Quotes
How we cite the quotes:
(Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote 1
Ever bomb creates a different scent, depending on where it hits, what it boils into aerosol and the nose detects slipping apart, as molecules mix with air and float free. (4.8)
The scent of bombs is an interesting detail that few others have noted. Ackerman later describes a bomb hitting a bakery, which sounds like the most delicious explosion ever. But that's another story.
Quote 2
In this Luftwaffe attack, a half-ton bomb destroyed the polar bears' mountain, smashing the walls, moats, and barriers and freeing the terrified animals. (4.29)
If you're the type of person who gets more upset when animals are hurt than when people are injured, this is a very sad part of the book. Okay, actually, it's an unpleasant part of the book, either way.
Quote 3
"At least humans can pack their essentials, keep moving, keep improvising. […] The zoo animals are in a much worse situation than we are," she lamented, "because they're totally dependent on us." (4.31)
Antonina still feels for the animals, even during the violence of war. Nevertheless, she never puts their safety above the safety of humans.
Quote 4
For Jan, the puzzle of finding a town of no military interest posed an equation littered with unknowns he wasn't prepared for, since neither he nor Antonina had thought the Germans would invade Poland. (4.10)
It's alarming for Jan and Antonina to see the country they consider their home being invaded by an outside force. They thought their home was safe, but this is only the beginning of the invasion.
Quote 5
When she finally arrived in Rejentòwka, she found a ghost town with summer guests gone, shops shuttered for the season, and even the post office closed. (4.18)
Antonina often has to move away from the zoo and make new little homes away from home. It's hard to do that when all the comforts of home have been abandoned.
Quote 6
Just before dawn, Antonina woke to the distant sound of gravel pouring down a metal chute, which her brain soon deciphered as airplane engines. (4.1)
This is a scary way to wake up. Hey, if you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, set your cell phone alarm to "Blitz." That should do the trick.
Quote 7
The zoo animals seemed unaware of danger. Small fires didn't scare them—for years they'd trusted the sight of household bonfires—but they grew alarmed by the sudden flood of soldiers, because the only humans they'd ever seen in the early morning were the dozen or so blue-uniformed keepers, usually with food. (4.5)
Even though the first sentence says that the animals seemed unaware of danger, it's pretty apparent that they have very acute senses attuned to he perception of danger. In fact, animals are often much better at sensing threats than people are.