Essay Questions

What happened to Alicia's family?

All of Alicia's family are sadly killed during the German invasion of Poland. Alicia has four brothers, all of whom are killed during the novel. Moshe Jurman is her eldest brother, who runs away from an abusive school before being sent to prison where he later dies. Her brother Bunio is sent out to collect wood but was captured and send to a camp. Her brother Zachary is hanged by the police, and her youngest brother Herzl disappears and is never found. After the invasion of Poland, Alicia's father Sigmund Jurgen is forced to register in the army and is never seen again.

Alicia and her mother are the two last surviving members of her family. Alicia's mother survives in hiding with Alicia for years, but unfortunately, she is shot while protecting Alicia.

What examples of human kindness do we see in the text?

There are many examples of kindness in the text, despite the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. The author shows that despite the apparent darkness of humanity at this terrible time in history, there is some good. One example is the doctor on the train who saves Alicia by pushing her out of the window. Another example is Mr. Gold, who finds Alicia at the Chortkov prison and takes her back to his home. His wife, Mrs. Gold then looks after Alicia and helps her to recover. Wujciu is another good character, who allows Alicia and her mother to seek refuge in his home, offering them shelter and food.