Yanek and his family live in Krakow, Poland. But in just a blink of an eye, their city was invaded by the Germans beginning 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 the 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 fr resettlement or deportation yet. One-by-One many Jews were relocated to other Jewish ghettos, work camps, concentration camps or were killed on site.

yankes figurative journey

with the stress of no food, and constant hiding, yanek is living in fear of being caught by the Nazi. 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. yanek's early life as a 10 year old boy before the war was very normal. he attended school, played with friends, and went to the synagogue with his family. he loves his mom and dad and looks up to them but as the war continues yanek begins to doubt his fathers constant hopefulness and positivity and wonders who is really right-his father or uncle Moshe. "I still 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.

Yaneks figurative journey

Yanek has almost lost hope after seeing his parents being taken away and never brought back. Soon finding out that his parents were killed, but not just his parents every single one of his family members were killed.his aunt and cousins were killed from not being able to work. he must work to be able to stay alive. He was deported and taken to work as a prisoner. When he arrived they had him change into prison clothes and boots. he still had to focus on survival, everyone in his family is gone except for uncle Moshe. he must survive for his family who weren't able to. After finding his uncle he told Yanek he must not do anything to stand out. he must say he has no name, don't talk unless being able to, don't say he knows anyone there, or anything. He can't stand out for any reason. and always has to work and make sure that he has a job to be able to work.

when Yanek is down in the salt mine he says how beautiful it is down in there but also how dark it is. he explains the salt mine as the most beautiful thing he has seen. there are three hundred kilometers of tunnels within the salt mine. "I have never seen anything like it" (page 98). he explains he never has seen anything like the salt mine with how beautiful it is in there."the mine was a stage in the dream world" (page 98). he explains the mine is like a dream with how beautiful he thinks it is.

Yanek was thinking if all of the prisoners turned to fight against the guards they could win. the prisoners out number the guards, the only reason holding them back is that the guards have weapons and they don't. "yes the Nazis have clubs and guns, but there were far more of us than there were of them."(page 109) he says how they do have clubs and guns but they outnumber them. one of the prisoners did try and fight back but got shot dead. this grew more fear in yanek knowing that even if they tried they could kill everyone.

literal journey

The prisoners were all cramped onto trains. There was no water, no food, no bathroom. They were on the train for 7 whole days. Yanek and everyone were all cramped together on the train. Yanek couldn't even move an arm because of how cramped it was from so many people being in the train. After a few hours people started falling asleep. The prisoner by him was leaning on his shoulder and he tried budging him to wake him up but his skin was pale and he wasn't moving. He was dead and leaning on Yanek and he tried to budge him off but there wasn't anywhere to move him so he had to stand there with a dead man leaning on him. The guys in the middle of everyone were complaining of being too hot. Yanek was lucky because he was by a vent getting cold air blown onto him helping him breathe. He looked out and saw snow on the train, he reached as far as he could barely reaching the snow. once he got the snow he ate it to help his thirst.

figurative journey

when Yanek and the other prisoners arrived everyone thought that they were going to die from gas showers. Yanek starting to freak out and all he could think about was getting killed from that gas. what was the point of surviving is he was just gonna die right then? he couldn't help but think of how much he has suffered trying to survive all that time just for them to bring them to the gas chambers and kill them. when they arrived they had to sit and wait while the other train unloaded into the gas chamber to be killed. after that was done they started to unload into the chamber. Yanek started to lose his mind wanting to just die so he doesn't have to suffer anymore. Yanek started crying, the first time he has cried since uncle Moshe died.o a prisoner on the train told Yanek that if he stands directly under the shower he would die faster and not suffer as much.nce everyone was in they closed the doors. some prisoners were freaking out banging on the doors to be let out, some were crying and some were just sitting and waiting to be killed. they could hear the showers start up and everyone believes that gas is going to come out onto them to kill them. then water came out and gave everyone a nice shower to clean off.

Yanek saw new prisoners arrive. they were told to bring their belongings and they would get them back but they don't get them back ever again. the only way for them to leave is through the gas chambers. they couldn't leave or they would get beaten to death if they got caught. the new prisoners looked at Yanek and the prisoners that have been there like they were mental. there was a man that told the boy to say that he was eighteen , In good health and has trade.

When they were doing the death march Yanek didn't care if he lived or died he thought that death would seem like a welcome release. they could see the tower of Berlin and they were in sashsenhausen. he had been without food for days and is surviving off of eating snow. Yanek said that with all of the deaths that have happened, people dieing and falling on the ground were like fallen trees.

when they arrived they let the prisoners have a week off of work to rest and get their strength back. they were given bread and warm soup to eat.yanek scarfed down the soup and bread just like every other prisoner. but they all woke up with a terrible stomach acke. Yanek knew it was because they ate so fast but also having that warm think meaty soup after not eating for days is why they have pain in their stomach. the next day they brought the soup and bread for them.but this time yanek knew that eating the warm soup would hurt his stomach after not having food for so long. so he traded his soup for someone elses bread so it wont hurt his stomach and will settle easier for him. he toasted the bread over the wood stove in the barrack.

once Yanek arrived at the camp he was sent to work. but this camp was different, they had a zoo. the guards gave the animals fresh water and raw meat, while all the prisoners starved. Yanek hates seeing animals through pain and they tied a deer up by his antlers onto a fence. mot of the prisoners havent eaten for days yet they still have to work.

yanek had wished to die before just to end all of the suffering. but he has also tried his best to survive any way possible . when they were walking one of the guards had 4 loafs of bread. Yanek knew he wouldn't be able to survive without food before nightfall. he went up to the guard asking for bread and it was moonface. moonface took a nice to his neck and slit it. but Yanek did get a chunk of bread to eat. one of the guards looked at Yanek and noticed he was missing a button on his shirt. the gaurd pulled him aside and said he was gonna slash Yanek 20 times and he has to count in German. Yanek got the words wrong for the numbers and got slashed each time till he got it right. he got slashed way more times than 20 just for missing a button on his shirt.

Yanek wakes up and finds that their are no guards outside or too wake him up and they all find this very interesting. and they don't know that the americans are coming to save them. so they all go outside and wait because they think this is another trick that the guards put up. and then they see the americans and they all fall to their knees so happy. and then after that the guards take them and take care of them, by giving them food,beds and toothbrushes.