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Yanek

This character, the protagonist of the novel, is 12 years old when the novel opens. This character has no siblings, but he does have a large extended family when the narrative begins. When the Nazis invade Poland and turn Krakow into a Jewish ghetto, this character's life is turned upside down and he starts a journey filled with loss, abject misery, and eventually, a singular focus on whatever will help him survive until the Nazis are finally defeated by the Allies.

Oskar

This character is the father of the novel's protagonist. He is proud of his Jewish heritage and he ensures that his son undergoes a bar mitzvah, even when doing so puts both of them, as well as the men forming the minyan, in great danger. This character is later assumed by his brother to be dead, who relays the terrible news to this character's son when they...

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This section contains 717 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample