Jojo Rabbit Essay Questions

What are the two instances of dramatic irony that occur around Elsa's hideout?

When Jojo discovers Elsa in their house, he threatens to tell the authorities, but Elsa tells him that if he does, the Gestapo will likely kill his mother for hiding a Jewish girl in their home. Thus, Jojo must keep his silence about Elsa's presence in his house. This is one instance of dramatic irony because the viewer knows about Elsa while the Nazis whom Jojo sees every day do not. Additionally, Jojo and Elsa do not tell Rosie that Jojo knows about her, so Rosie goes on believing that she is keeping Elsa a secret from Jojo, while the viewer knows this is not the case.

What is the joke of Jojo's imaginary friend?

Many children are known to have imaginary friends, but what is notable about Jojo's is that his imaginary friend is one of the most infamous figures in Western history: Adolf Hitler, known for his totalitarian regime and his political party's mass extermination of Jews, homosexuals, non-white individuals, and others. Jojo is only 10 years old, and cannot quite grasp the magnitude of what is going on in his country. He only knows that he identifies with Adolf Hitler for some reason, and wants to be the best Nazi he can be. The "joke," then, is the fact that such a young, innocent, and adorable boy would idolize such an evil man. Additionally, as a figment of Jojo's imagination, "Hitler" is a buffoon, a pot-bellied punchline in his own right.

What does Jojo learn by the end of the film?

After befriending Elsa and realizing that Jewish people are not so bad after all, Jojo cannot help but internalize some of his mother's lessons about love, progressivism, and leading with love rather than hate. He banishes his imaginary Hitler and embraces his friendship with Elsa. He learns his mother's lesson— that it is important to dance and experience pleasure, even in times of hardship.

What is notable about the film's tone, and what effect does it have?

The tone of the film is unique in that it careens in between different tones and moods very quickly. One minute the plot concerns something sobering and tragic, the next the tone is quite playful and farcical. Additionally, sometimes Waititi superimposes dramatic and tragic scenes on top of a more lighthearted tone. For instance, we see Nazi children being educated to think hatefully and violently, but the performances and tones in the scenes are quite comic. This has the effect of satirizing the Nazis and their regime, poking fun at something that historians and artists rarely joke about. The quick switches between tragic material and more comical moments also lend the sadder or more serious moments an even more tragic quality, because they are so jarring and different from the more madcap and comical aspects of the film.

What does the film suggest about innocence and ideology?

By showing the ways that young children were indoctrinated into the Nazi party during World War II, and particularly by telling the story of a boy who becomes completely wrapped up in Nazi propaganda, filmmaker Taika Waititi suggests that dangerous and hate-filled political campaigns can prey on young people who do not know any better. Jojo is our protagonist, the character with whom the viewer is meant to sympathize, yet he is a Nazi who weighs all of his actions against the imagined advice of Adolf Hitler. As the film progresses, we see that his values are less informed by his beliefs than they are by his desire to fit in with an ideology and a misplaced nationalistic identification.