Connection vs. Isolation Theme Analysis

One of the Nazis’ primary tools of abuse, and one of the means by which they are able to maintain their power, is to make their victims feel completely isolated. Whether they do this by pulling families apart, punishing people for any connection, or quashing any perceived rebellion and punishing it tenfold, the Nazis use these isolating tactics as a means of instilling even more fear and despair in their victims. Yet while Yanek initially tries to isolate himself from other people in order to protect himself from the Nazis’ wrath, he realizes that remaining connected can be crucial for his own and others’ well-being. Thus, Gratz argues that banding together, even in small acts of kindness or connection, can be a lifesaving form of resistance.

Initially, Gratz highlights Yanek’s isolation from those around him—both how the Nazis force him to feel isolated, and how he refuses to form connections because he recognizes the danger in doing so. When Yanek’s parents are taken away to the concentration camps while he is left behind in Kraków, he reflects on how alone and weak he feels. He even briefly contemplates giving himself up to the Nazis, recognizing that he is only 13 and that he is “all alone in the world.” Even though he ultimately decides not to give himself up, Gratz makes clear that Yanek’s sense of isolation is debilitating almost to the point of despair. At Yanek’s first concentration camp, Plaszów, he reunites with his uncle Moshe. But when he calls out to Moshe upon first seeing him, a Nazi soldier hearing his outburst immediately beats one of the other prisoners, not knowing who had called out. Gratz thus highlights how any connection to another person is punished. The Nazis are particularly brutal to any displays of solidarity among the prisoners that imply rebellion. At Trzebinia, Yanek thinks about fighting back against the Nazis so that he might be able to escape. When one man fights back against a Nazi soldier at roll call, Yanek thinks that this might be their chance, hoping that other prisoners will join in to fight. But instantly, the prisoner is shot, and seven other prisoners who had nothing to do with the man’s outburst are hanged. Though Yanek thinks about finding strength in numbers, he realizes that any connection to another person could serve as a reason to be killed—and so Yanek at first tries to avoid any kind of relationship.

Yet as Yanek and his Uncle Moshe work together to improve their situation, Yanek realizes how connections can also help a person survive—even while Moshe emphasizes the need to protect themselves and avoid associating with others. One day, Yanek is sent back to the Kraków ghetto to clean it, and he returns to his old apartment. There, he remembers that there are money and valuables sewn into the linings of his family’s old coats, and he takes the money and valuables back to the ghetto. He shares this fortune with Moshe, who is able to trade the money for half a loaf of bread each, which Yanek explains is a feast. Only by working together are they able to obtain this life-saving food, illustrating the importance of their relationship to their mutual survival. Yet irony lies in the fact that after they buy the bread, Moshe insists that Yanek not share the bread with anyone else, and not even show others that he has this bread. Yanek feels guilty about doing so when he sees a man in another bunk who looks like he is about to die from starvation, but he does as he is told. The Nazis have made Yanek and Moshe incredibly fearful of relationships, even as Yanek recognizes the benefit of working together and his potential to save another person’s life.

After Moshe’s death in Plaszów, Yanek finds others to support and rely on. Even though he remembers Moshe’s advice not to connect with others, he knows that doing so bolsters him. Soon after Moshe’s death, Yanek feels his strength dwindling. He thinks, regarding Moshe, “Why did you have to die? I need help. I need a friend.” Then, Yanek discovers a crawl space under the floorboards in the barracks and decides to hide rather than going to his work detail. He shows two other boys in his barracks, Thomas and Isaac, the crawl space as well. He’s unsure why he does so, positing, “Maybe it was because I’d wanted someone to help me when I had needed it. Maybe it was just that I would be lonely in there all day.” Regardless of the reason, hiding with the two other boys helps them to regain their strength, and they talk about the lives they used to have—helping them connect to one another and fueling their desire to survive and return to normal life. Two years and four concentration camps later, at Auschwitz, Yanek meets another boy his age named Fred, whom he befriends on their work detail. They talk about what they’re going to do when they get out of the camps, and Yanek describes how he loves “just talking again. Being human.” Even though Fred dies soon after—he is killed for being sick and unable to work—having a friend spurs Yanek’s own will to survive and get out of the camps, and it briefly remedies his isolation.

Even though the Nazis prevent the prisoners from launching a full-scale rebellion, over time Yanek discovers subtle ways to resist the isolation that the Nazis try to impose on the prisoners. Yanek is even able to forge friendships, despite the fact that so many people prioritize only saving themselves and fear contact with others. These connections, Gratz illustrates, are part of the reason that Yanek is able to survive, both because those relationships can provide tangible physical support (like Moshe’s bread), and because they provide an emotional buoy that helps Yanek to survive (like Fred’s friendship).