Final answer:
Hannah, tired of Holocaust stories at her family's Seder, is transported to 1942 Poland and, as Chaya, faces the grim realities of the Holocaust, gaining new insights.
Step-by-step explanation:
An SWBST (Somebody-Wanted-But-So-Then) summary of The Devil's Arithmetic chapters 1-5 focuses on the main character and plot developments during these early chapters of the book.
Somebody: The main character is Hannah, a young Jewish girl who is tired of remembering the past and wants to enjoy the current Passover Seder without her relatives' stories of the Holocaust.
Wanted: Hannah desires to forge her own experiences and memories, not just live through the lens of her family's history.
But: During the Seder, when she opens the door for the Prophet Elijah, she is suddenly transported back in time to 1942 Poland.
So: In this unfamiliar and grim reality, assumed to be her cousin Chaya, Hannah is confused and struggling to understand what is happening.
Then: She encounters the brutal reality of the Holocaust and begins to develop a new perspective on the importance of memory and the past.
The Devil's Arithmetic is a historical fiction novel by Jane Yolen that tells the story of a Jewish girl named Hannah who is transported back in time to a Polish concentration camp during World War II.
The SWBST (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then) summary method is a way to organize the key elements of a story. Applying this method to chapters 1-5 of The Devil's Arithmetic, we can break it down as follows:
Somebody: Hannah, a modern-day Jewish girl.
Wanted: She wants to have a meaningful understanding of her Jewish heritage.
But: She is skeptical and disconnected from her family's traditions.
So: Hannah is transported back in time to a concentration camp, experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust firsthand.
Then: She realizes the importance of remembering and honoring her heritage.