Yanek and his family live in Krakow, Poland. But in just a blink of an eye, their city was invaded by Germans at the beginning of WWII. For now, Yanek and his family remain in Krakow. For a little while they stay in their flat with several other families. Anti-Semitic rules have been put in place that persecute Jewish people, taking away any rights they had. Over time, walls are built up around the ghetto to contain the remaining Jews who have not been taken for resettlement or deportation yet. One by one many Jews were relocated to other Jewish ghettos, work camps, and concentration camps, or were killed on-site.

Yaneks Figurative Journey

With I have no food and constant hiding Yannick is living in fear of being caught by the Nazis his emotional state is one of constant Terror and panic at what awaits him at every turn the unknown aspects of the war leave a Feeling of being unsettled. Yannick's early life as a 10-year-old boy before the war was very normal he went to school played with his friends and went to the synagogue with his family. He loves his mom and dad and looks up to them but as we continue Yannick begins to doubt his father's constant hopefulness and positivity and wonders who is really right his father or his Uncle Moshe. I was so worried he was wrong but fresh bread made me forget all my troubles for a little while at least. (pg 25) Doubting your parents for the first time is a struggle for Yanek especially in war-torn Poland.

"Parents Oscar and Mena they are dead and gone now yeah and we would grieve for them if we could but we have only one purpose now survive at all costs Yanek" Yanek finds out his parents are gone and he has to survive almost on his own just with his cousin. The Germans took him to a camp to work and sew clothes for soldiers. When he gets there he finds his uncle Moche, so at least he has some support. Yanek sees a lot of violence for the first time but he can't show emotion because Uncle Moche told him not to stand out.

Yanek is kept imprisoned to work at the camp, he is struggling to survive without his uncle Moche. His surroundings are very depressing and sad. Until he gets taken to work at a salt mine, where he sees the beautiful salt chandeliers, statues, and sculptures from thousands of years ago. The moment of beauty means a lot to Yanek because it reminds him that there is more than just the terrible world he is living in right now. He hopes that the beautiful statues will come to life and save him from the misery and torture of the Nazis, so he can go back to a normal life that isn't so miserable and violent.

In chapter 13 Yanek gets furious about why the others won't stand up to the Nazis because there are more of the Jews and they outnumber them, the only thing the Nazis have is weapons until he becomes fearful because one person did try to stand up to them but got shot. He then accepts that he does not want to stand up to them because if he does tons of more people will be killed with him, but if he goes down without a fight then there is a better chance of the rest of his friends to survive at least a little longer as prisoners.

Yanek and the other men get held at gunpoint to get in a cart. Then they are in the cart crammed in tight. Yanek is lucky enough to stand by the grate where he can get snow but he can barely get his arm up from the dead body next to him, before he dies of dehydration. They drive in the trains for about 2-3 until they get there but still have to wait another half day to get out. When they start getting out all of the dead bodies fall to the ground. When they get out they see smoke coming out of chimneys and they think that is what will happen to them. They get taken inside to showers where they think gas will come out but it is water.

Yaneks Figurative Journey

When Yanek first gets on the train he thinks he is just going to another camp that will be worse. Even when they make a stop and everyone tells them that they are taking them to die he thinks they are just trolling them, until they make another stop and he finds out where he is going and someone tells him that that is not just a camp it is a death camp. Then he knows he is going to die and accepts it, even though he wants to survive because that's how he thinks he can win, and survive through the war. When he gets there he sees the smoke coming from the chimney nervous knowing that is what will happen to him. A guy tells him to just stand under the grate so his death is quick and not so painful. When he enters water comes out and he is so relieved. It is like a rebirth or a baptism. He then knows he will survive, at least a little longer.

Yanek marched all day in the snow. He helped a little boy who was almost unconscious. He ended up losing his bread because it fell out of his pocket when he was carrying the boy. He almost starved to death. At night he was very cold and hungry so he nearly stole the boys' bread but stopped himself. The next morning when the boy woke up he did not even thank Yanek so he began to regret wasting his energy and bread helping him because it took so much of his strength to carry him so far for so long.

After Yanek walked for 10 days almost dying with no food, he got to the camp. At the camp, they fed them great food and let them rest to regain their strength. The guy thought they could not work as skinny and pale as they are. Yanek got sick because his stomach was not used to all of the food. Yanek got tired of being there so he volunteered himself to be the one that was deported so he could leave.

While Yanek is at Bergen-Belsen he finally hears the bombs and tanks. He also notices the guards and soldiers are the middle-class men because the higher-class men were out fighting the war or had left. He thinks he is going to finally make it to the end of the war until, moon face, starts beating him every day for nothing. He thinks he is going to kill him, and everyone tells him that Moon Face was a murder that was in jail before the war began. His hopes were up high that he was going to make it out but now he does not know because moon face might end up killing him.

At this point in the way Yanek had seen so many people die, he was so used to it and expected it every day. But when he has seen the Nazis kill a deer he was filled with rage. The Nazis were treating the animals better than they treated the Jews and Yanek did not like that. He hated that the Nazis seen them as less than animals and that they could treat them that badly but not the animals. He knew he had to make it through to beat the Nazis but he had been so mad and hungry.

When Yanek gets taken to Gross-Rosen, he can hear the bombs and he knows the war is coming. He fantasizes about life after the war where he can eat and do whatever he wants. "As I worked I told myself there would be another world after this one. A bright, shining, beautiful future, where I didn't wear blue and gray stripes." He dreams of living a normal life with his family. Then a storm came that he couldn't escape and he began falling into a hole. He tried to climb his way out grabbing rocks and dirt because he did not want to fall to the bottom and die. His dream represents how he was living his life normally until the Nazis came and he couldn't escape them.

While Yanek was at Dachau everyone around him began getting the camp fever. Yanek hoped he would not get it and tried to stay away from everyone. He could also hear bombs all around him, he knew the war was coming. He knew the American Allies would hopefully come and save him. He hoped and prayed that a bomb wouldn't land on his bunk. He did not want to die, not so close to the end of the war. He tried to make it to the end. A prisoner told them that there were no more guards and that they were free. Yanek was filled with hope and excitement but he thought it was a joke. Then he saw an American flag heading towards him. He knew he was saved, he was so happy but also scared because he did not remember how to live a normal life.

When the American Allies took Yanek to Munich he felt so relieved that he was saved. He didn't even know what a normal life was like anymore. "How many people do I have to share it with? I asked him. He looked surprised. Nobody, he said. It's yours. I bed all to myself!" This piece of evidence shows that Yanek has not had a normal life for so long, he was so used to sharing a bed with 10 others. When they gave Yanek and the other prisoners a feast to share with them Yanek got very emotional for all the lives they had lost around them that they would not get back. Yanek had seen so much death around him he was just so happy he could survive.