The United Kingdom
For nearly 10,000 Jewish children before World War II, the United Kingdom was a symbol of safety and security. The namesake "Kindertransport" program allowed for the successful immigration of children from countries rife with antisemitic violence led by the Nazis to the United Kingdom, which would ensure the children's safety. Many parents of children transported to the United Kingdom saw the proverbial writing on the wall. They knew that sending them to the United Kingdom would be the only way they would survive the impending Holocaust. Evelyn did just that because of the bravery of her mother, Helga, who sent her to the U.K.
The Ratcatcher
The Ratcatcher, a character from German fairytales who kidnapped children, symbolizes Evelyn's discontent with her mother, Helga. Often, Evelyn draws a direct comparison between Helga and the Ratcatcher. For much of her life, Evelyn thought her mother led her astray and kidnapped her by sending her to another country. She felt tremendous resentment towards her mother because she decided to send her to the United Kingdom and acted out because of that shame and resentment. Although Evelyn's feelings aren't grounded in reality, the Ratcatcher is everything Evelyn thought was wrong with her mother.
Deception
Deception is a significant motif in Kindertransport. Initially, Evelyn's mother, Helga, deceived her daughter by telling her that she would see her again and that her daughter would be okay ultimately. Helga knew that her daughter likely would never see her again and sent her to the United Kingdom to save her from certain death by his Nazi war machine. Although Evelyn was physically okay, she was emotionally hurt by this deceptive behavior, which radically altered her life. Helga's deception enabled Evelyn to deceive her daughter about her past. Evelyn told her daughter stories about a young girl named Eva frequently. Still, she never told her daughter about her past, which hurt her daughter and significantly strained their relationship, which was very important to Evelyn.
Trains
Trains symbolize the horrors of the Holocaust and the death of the Jewish people who died during that genocide. Throughout the war, Adolf Hitler used trains to transport his Jewish victims to concentration camps, where they were sent to their deaths. In fact, Hitler often held up trains carrying important war instruments to ensure Jewish people were sent to death camps. Trains are one of the most recognizable symbols of war and the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people (including Helga's mother).
