Briar Rose
In this module, the Board of Studies requires that you undertake a “detailed analysis of the
text”. Therefore, by the end of this unit, you need to have knowledge and understanding of
every element of this novel; you must know it inside and out, back to front!
These are the elements of the novel you will have analysed in order to Closely Study Briar
Rose.
Context
1. Historical Context
The Holocaust
Original definition: great destruction resulting in the extensive loss of life, especially by fire.
20th century definition: Genocide of European Jews and others by the Nazis during World War
II.
History: The Holocaust refers to the period from January 30, 1933 to May 8, 1945, when the
war in Europe ended. During this time, Jews in Europe ere subjected to increasingly harsh
persecution of 6,000,000 million Jews (approx 1.5 million of these were children), and the
destruction of at least 5,000 communities. These deaths represented 2/3 of the European
Jewry. They were victims of Germany’s deliberate and systematic attempt to eradicate the
entire Jewish population of Europe; a plan Hitler called the “Final Solution”.
2. Fairytales – Briar Rose (aka Sleeping Beauty) – you need to know the fairy tale’s
origins and meaning.
Fairy Tales – Briar Rose
Origin: the earliest recorded version of Sleeping Beauty appears as “Troylus and Zellandine”
in a 14th century prose narrative called “Perceforest”; the Grimm’s story of “sleeping beauty” is
considered a truncated version of Charles Perrault’s “Sleeping Beauty in the Wood”. The
Grimms’ story has a narrative integrity that has made it more appealing than Perrault’s tale,
perpetually re-written and adapted, the story has been retold, most recently as a Holocaust
tale by Jane Yolen.
The name Briar Rose is therefore another name for Sleeping Beauty. There have been many
versions of the tale, which not many people know about, and they haven’t always been for
little children, they were scarier and saucier than Disney-style and were told to a wider
audience.
Meaning:
Yolen has taken the story of Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose) and developed the parallel stories
of two women: Becca searching for her grandmother’s story, and Gemma’s story in the
extermination camp of Chelmno and afterwards with the partisans of Poland during World
War II.
Plot
The novel, Briar Rose is about a woman and her promise to her Grandmother to find out
where she came from, about the story “Briar Rose” or “Sleeping Beauty”, which is inter-twined
throughout the novel, her grandmother’s ‘castle’ and Becca’s encounters whilst trying to find
out the truth about the Holocaust and her Grandmother.
There are two plots in the novel, Briar Rose.
The 1st plot = Present Day
This plot follows Becca’s search for the truth of Gemma’s past.
2nd plot = Fairy Tale, Set in the past during Becca’s childhood
This plot follows Gemma’s telling of Briar Rose to her 3 granddaughters.
Fairy Tale
Briar Rose
Parallels between Gemma’s Life and the Fairytale Briar Rose
Including Quotes
Reality
e.g. briar rose = gemma because:
she is given the nickname ‘princess’
her hair is red – “crown of red hair”
Castle
Bad fairy
“Not the bad fairy. Not the
one in black with big black
boots and silver eagles on
her hat” (pg. 19)
Good fairies
The curse
“dead from the exhaust
piped in” pg 210 (Gassed)
“Uncles, aunties, cousins,
family… I curse you Briar
Rose, your father, mother,
cousins, aunts”
“everyone slept…and all
kinds of citizens”
Who do these people
represent in reality?
Mist
“a fog, an exhaust”
“dead from the exhaust
piped in”
“a mist covered the entire
kingdom”
“keep all thoughts of mist
away, I forbid you to think of
it”
Truck/Van
100 years
“Is 100 years a lot?”
“100 years is forever”
Briar hedge/thorns
“a briary hedge began to
grow, with thorns as sharp
as barbs”
The peasant
“he said when they go in,
they come out but its not the
same” meaning they are
dead, “better not, the
peasant said, whoever goes
in doesn’t come out”
Prince
“I am called prince”, “and I
shall never forget the dark
prince who kissed me
awake”,
Troops
“The prince came riding by
with his troops, saw the
hedge and tried to see over
it…”
on her death whispering “I am Briar Rose”
The schloss – at Chelmno which the Nazis took over
extermination camp.
“she spoke of the castle, the schloss”
Hitler and his Nazi soldiers
The allied forces OR partisans
- curse was being Jewish and it was to be killed by
being gassed in the trucks on the way out of Chelmno
- “the final solution”
- Jewish, gay, Gypsies
Everybody – all Jewish people
Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals were killed.
e.g. pg 43 Gemma describes the mist as “an exhaust” - this
directly relates to the way Gemma was gassed, in a truck and
a hose was connected from the exhaust pipe of the truck
- gas – the pipe was put into the truck
“it had a tin ceiling and a tin floor covered with
latticework”
100 years = death
OR
It felt like it took forever to be found
“100 years is forever”
Briar hedge/thorns = barbed wire, fence
“higher and higher the thorny bush grew until it covered…” –
this symbolises the spread of concentration camps
The peasant was someone who Josef sat with to find out
about the camps, literally.
“I am alive my dear prince, you have given me back the
world”
The prince is Josef – ties in with his name where he used to
live.
Fairytale ending
Josef and the partisans – coming out of the woods to save
Gemma although they said it could not be done.
White birch trees
“once it was believed birch
trees housed souls of the
dead”, “on either side of the
path white birch trees
gleamed like the souls of the
new dead”
Awakening
The bed part  linked to the
truck with the floor
latticework
Baby girl
Refers to people who are dead – their gleaming white –
innocent? Souls still living on with them, also their bodies in
the pits covered in dew lifeless but so bare and innocent –
Birch was a partisan (boy)
When Gemma survives the gassing and is woken by the
avenger and Josef
- the kiss of life  sleeping beauty
- “he put his hand right into the thorns”
- “and as he did so giving her breath for breath she
awoke”
- “that he put his mouth on hers and as he did so it was
in Josef’s mouth that she, at last spluttered and
coughed”
Gemma’s daughter is the baby girl (Becca’s mother)
“I am with child”
Narrative Structure + Intertextuality
Fairytale Genre
Fairytales have come to be regarded as children’s short stories in their modern, sanitised
revamping; however, they were originally intended for a more varied audience often including
a moralistic overtones more suited to adult readers or designed to frighten children into
submissive patterns of behaviour.
In traditional fairy stories one starts with the helpless maiden, especially with Sleeping
Beauty. One knows she is going to be rescued, however one interesting pattern that develops
in fairytales is that the rescuer of the persecuted or bewitched person has himself or herself
been bewitched or persecuted.
Fairytales have always hovered between the fully-grown poetic imagination and the
imagination of children. Our present uncertainty about the proper place in lives of children can
be explained by their odd history in written literature.
Briar Rose (Novel)
Briar Rose has a complex yet tightly constructed narrative structure. Yolen interweaves at
least three major strands into her plot, and uses voices of different types to add an interesting
variety to the narrative; the voices of Becca and her sisters, of Josef Potocki, of the priest
(Father Stashau), of Magda, of Stand and other parents’ recount.
Two parallel stories are developed simultaneously:
1. Gemma’s whole version of the Briar Rose tale which Becca recognises to be a
metaphor for Gemma’s life (Pg 17). Effects:
 the placement of segments of the never-completed fairy story at intervals through the
narrative adds suspense and mystery to the novel
 More importantly, the fairy tale references seem to deepen the story of Gemma’s
Holocaust sufferings and relate them to the whole cultural tradition – of good and evil,
of suffering and rescue, and of seeking and eventually finding.
2. The narrative of Becca’s determined quest to make sense of this story after her
grandmother’s death
3. A third stage of Becca’s developing relationship with fellow journalist, Stan is
presented more lightly, but suggests that, for Becca, a happy ending is likely. Her
own happy ever after tale springs out of her grandmother’s life story, and make the
bitter sadness of the Holocaust easier for the readers to bear. Gemma’s story itself
was one of a happy ‘normal’ ending with a supportive family.
Above all, it is Gemma’s story. Gemma’s voice reaches the reader most through her
unusual retelling of the old Briar Rose fairytale. This is so different in details from the
traditional version that visiting children are outraged or terrified after being told the story.
As in all good fairy tales the older sisters – if not exactly “wicked” are at times
unsympathetic to hearing this same favourite story repeated countless times. It is the
youngest of the three sisters who shows the required goodness and empathy.
There are three distinct sections of the novel: Home, Castle, and Home Again.
Plot 1 – This includes the growing relationship story of Becca and Stan that hopefully
leads her to her own “lived happily ever after”.
Plot 2 – This is a very interesting narrative structure because the reader can hear
Gemma’s ‘voice’ and gets to know her character despite the fact that she is dead in
present day. The use if italics are a clear sign/device that clearly indicates to the reader
the time change from present to the past.
Home (Chapters 1-24) Home follows plot 1 & 2
Home has the two narratives running as alternative chapters – time past running
simultaneously with time present. The reader is given glimpses of Becca as a child
listening to the story of Sleeping Beauty and each glimpse seems to move ahead in
months and years.
Castle (Chapters 25-30) Castle follows aspects of plot 1 + aspects of the past.
It is present day in Poland and Josef is telling his story in 3rd person including dialogue.
He is telling his story/experiences of the Holocaust/past that included Gemma. * There
are no chapters involving Gemma’s telling of Briar Rose*
Home Again (Chapters 31-33) Home Again follows plots 1&2, in this section, Gemma’s
Briar Rose story is completed (chapter 31+32)
Chapter 33 sees the main plot line being resolved too, as Becca returns home and has
discovered the truth of Gemma’s story (her journey and the ‘story’ is at an end) and
Becca and Stan get together – this is clear from the last line of the novel.
Characters
There are 3 main characters in the novel: Gemma, Becca and Josef.
Gemma (Ksiezniczka – meaning Princess)
Gemma is the focal character in the novel. She gives the romantic fairytale of magic and
happy-ever-after a greater significance by providing the analogy between the darker
concepts of sleeping beauty and the horrors of the Holocaust.
She assumes the traditional role of the story teller as she nurtures the children’s hearts
and dreams with the story of sleeping beauty. She appears in the story in her own right
only in chapter 2, when she is dying in a nursing home, and in The Castle, the section by
Josef. She drifts into consciousness and still attempts to remember the story, distressing
her granddaughters. Becca recognises she is purposeful in this attempt, and she
eventually makes the central claim of her life: “I was the princess in the castle in the
sleeping woods. And there came a great dark mist and we all fell asleep. But the prince
kissed me awake. Only me”. Becca promises to find the castle, Gemma says it’s her
legacy which is all she has to give, finally claming she is Briar Rose.
She shows much love and determination, but her life story is shown only in a handful of
photographs, artefacts and papers in her wooden box. From these clues Becca leads the
reader to a fuller understanding. By the nature of the story it can never be complete. Her
own account of her early years is never given to us, nor are her thoughts revealed, except
in her actions.
Gemma essentially represents the hidden millions whose stories were destroyed with
their lives. She is thus an archetypal figure – the valiant mother, the miraculous survivor.
Becca
For most of its length, the novel is told through Becca’s point of view. It is her quest, her
promise to her dying grandmother to be fulfilled. She is created as a journalist, one who
has certain skills in discovering facts, in finding contacts and articulating what she finds.
Love, loyalty and tenacity – these are her defining characteristics. Readers are shown
these through her actions, her thought and her words, particularly in the way she relates
to her parents. She is shrewd and quick to understand and learn, but her empathy – not
just with her grandmother, but with her father and the nurses – which makes her out as
one who understands through her emotions as well as her intellect.
Josef
Conveniently constructed to be attractive to men and women, he holds the key to
Gemma’s past, which Becca has never been able to open. When Becca locates him she
can find the fullness of understanding that she seeks – she can unravel the secrets of her
origins.
Josef is careful to debunk any ideas of glamorous, heroic partisans: “you must
understand that this is a story of survivors, not heroes”. He remains conscious of his own
guilt and presents himself as a drifter, but emerges as a natural thinker and planner when
he joins the partisans. He is given the nickname Prince because of his land-owning
family. He is introduced by Father Stashau.
Before he was sent to the labour camp, Sachenhausen, Josef had never heard of it. He
had paid little attention to persecution of homosexuals in his previous pleasure-seeking
life, and as a young man had thought himself immune.
Josef details for Becca the situation in Germany and in the labour camps. He is shown as
an accidental hero, who links with the partisans when he finds and joins some prisoners
planning an escape. His adventures with the partisans enable him to be come a man of
honour, a hero. He is the one who persuades the rest to attempt to save some of the
Chelmno victims – and is thus responsible for helping save Gemma, the Ksiezniczka. He
helps Gemma escape after her husband, Aron has died and she is pregnant.
Shana + Sylvia
The two sisters, at times almost appear to be the proverbial ‘ugly sisters’ in the Cinderella
story when they side against Becca and try to impose their attitudes onto her. They are
redeemed from this because of Becca’s love for them and thus the reader endures their
often petulant and obstructive behaviour. We forgive them ultimately because they have
lost the innocence of childhood and grown into cynical adults dressed in designer clothes
whose priorities seem to have gone astray. This is most evident in their behaviour at the
nursing home and at the funeral. Their role is predominantly to provide a contrast to
Becca, who has held onto her innocence in her belief in the fairytale.
Dr Jerold and Mrs Eve Berlin
These two rarely enter the novel although they are Becca’s parents and Eve is Gemma’s
daughter, the child she was pregnant with when Josef helped her leave Poland in 1944.
Their role in the novel is only as peripheral characters. When Gemma dies, Eve knows
very little about her.
Stan
Stan is Becca’s love interest, and he helps her search and encourages her to persist. He
is her ‘prince’, which is cemented in the final scene of the main narrative, with a happyever-after metaphor being maintained until the end.
Magda
Magda contains the best traits of her family members when Becca is in Poland. She acts
a guardian, guide and mentor facilitating in Becca’s search. She picks up subtleties that
Becca does not have access to and provides Becca with the answers.
Partisans (Jewish) – all woodsmen – the women too were “careful, quiet and strong” –
couldn’t be tracked in the forests.
The Avenger (Aron)
Aron was 23, he went to medical school, experienced death, wanted to fight evil, his
family was burned alive, married Gemma, Becca’s grandfather, loved by Josef and
Gemma, “Angel’s face surrounded by a halo of gold curls”, Jewish, died a heroic death
Language + Techniques + Allegory
Language
The language of the novel is interesting in the way Yolen relies heavily on irony and the
sustained metaphor of the fairytale even working the metaphor of the fairytale into the
main narrative. The whole of Gemma’s version of the fairytale is ironic in its use of
parallels. A fairytale should be happy but Gemma uses it as an allegory for the Holocaust.
According to tradition, a fairytale is by nature didactic or moralistic. It aims to teach a
lesson. This one does so on an internal and external level. Firstly, it teaches children that
ultimately good will triumph over evil, and secondly, it celebrates for the reader the
triumph of the human heart and spirit over the agony of the Holocaust, that there is a
happy-ever-after for those who believe in beauty in its truest sense.
Throughout the main narrative, Yolen reminds the reader that this is, after all, a book that
uses a fairytale as its inspiration. There is much use of the language of the fairytale
throughout, such as in Becca’s words when Stan meets her at the airport and in the
names given to the partisans in Josef’s story. Its use stands as an interesting contrast to
the modern idiom especially in the dialogue of the two narratives. This can be seen most
markedly in the italicised chapters when the beauty of the fairytale is interrupted by
argumentative or cynical children.
There are two extremes of imagery used: the warm, happy images of the Berlin house
and the bleak imagery of the fairytale as Gemma tells it and as used in Josef’s story.
Techniques
Technique
Example
Effect
Allegory – a narrative where E.g. Fairytale – Briar Rose = You can compare something
all the way through – you can metaphor e.g. “I mean, it’s
to something completely unsee another story or
not that I believe it. That she
related
interpretation, other than the
does… it’s like the story is…
Briar Rose – allegory for the
one being explicitly told –
like… a metaphor” pg 13,
Holocaust. Gemma’s story
easily apply the story to
Gemma’s holocaust past =
acts as an allegory/metaphor
something other than the
literal  the fairytale is being for her telling of the whole
subject of the text, it often
used to tell the whole story
story (real life). The harsh
makes subjects easier to
* we need to understand the
details of her survival are
understand
fairytale in order to
hidden in the magical
understand Gemma’s past
fairytale – it softens the
and learn from it
impact of reality for the
like all allegorical tales, it tells reader.
of good triumphing over evil,
Yolen has constructed the
survival of dangers, life
whole story as an allegory –
winning over obstacles i.e.
a text whose whole plot is in
“happily ever after”
itself symbolic.
Irony – often used by
Josef represents the prince
Makes the reader feel
composers of texts – when
and certainly acted like a
sympathetic towards the
the meaning that the
prince, but he is in fact
victim or defensive if the
audience is to understand
homosexual – the
victim is the reader, can
differs from what is actually
stereotypical view of princes
provide humour
being said or done. It is often in fairytales is that they
used in texts to highlight a
rescue the female and they
contradiction
kiss, live happily ever after
etc. that was never going to
be the case with Gemma and
Josef.
Intertextuality – relationship Stan: “what’s past is
between texts – an allusion.
prologue” – from
Influencing the reader, can
Shakespeare’s The Tempest
trace author’s researching.
Sylvia: “The true Belle au
“using one text as an
Bois Dormant… the sleeping
ingredient of another is often
beauty in the wood”
called intetextuality”
Josef: refers to Dante’s
inferno
“…McKinley’s Beauty a book
she reread whenever she felt
troubled.
Language – writing style
Sylvia: “oh right, I forgot
Gives different ideas about
changes a lot and is adapted we’re back in the boonies”
the people’s backgrounds
Magda: “oh they are much in etc.
to the speaking character
appreciation”
Josef – well-educated, formal Gemma: “once upon a time”,
Becca and family – everyday “from your lips to god’s ears”
Becca & Sisters: “Seepin
middle-class America –
colloquial, conversational
Boot”, “meddlefur”
Magda – awkward, brokenEnglish
Gemma – fairytale
Sisters&Becca as children
Narrative voices/alternate
Repetition of key words,
symbols, events
Josef – his narrative voice is
acknowledged by repeated
“he said” in the last chapters
“castle”
Gemma
Becca
o “the child, a finger in
her mouth like a
stopper” pg 39, “it’s
thumb was firmly in
its mouth like a
stopper” pg 206 –
simile
o pg 17 “I am briar
rose, I am briar rose”
Gives the audience a
different/changing
perspective on the story
Re-enforces some important
parts of the narrative for the
audience
Seeping Boot -  it indicates
to the reader the cycle of life
and stories – they will live on
and not be forgotten – briar
rose will be orally re-told
through the generations.
o
o
Symbolism – use of symbols
to represent ideas, especially
in art and literature
heroes
“seepin boot”  at
start and end of
novel
e.g. a white dove =
peace/hope
mist = gas
Gives the reader different
interpretations of things.
eg. A fog = an exhaust
big black boots and silver
eagles on her hat = Nazi
uniform
Themes + Symbols
Darkness of humanity and Good vs. evil
Role: In ‘Briar Rose’, Yolen has set out to rewrite the Sleeping Beauty fairytale in a way which
is true to its origins. For Yolen, fairytales contain truths and are a way for people to retell the
past using metaphors.
Gemma is a survivor of the Holocaust, yet never explicitly tells her family. To deal with the
terrible experience and to explain herself to her family, she uses the Briar Rose metaphor and
adopts her past to it. Gemma does not want people to forget her past as “past is prologue”, so
she uses a fairytale to soften her harsh experience.
What can be learnt: we learn about the history of the holocaust, and we also learn that
despite the horrors of the Holocaust, there is some good in humanity too.
How Yolen presents the theme:
1. the theme of holocaust has been shown through Gemma’s real life – allegory
2. darkness of humanity = symbolism
3. simile to enhance description of horrifying experience
Further examples: pgs 126-128 Magda describes her experience as a child when she visited
a concentration camp and fully understood the horrors inflicted on Jews in Poland and how
dark and evil the Nazis were.
Good Vs Evil – in the end Good won over Evil in real life as it does in the fairytale. The
Germans were defeated and Poland was liberated but at a high price in the lives that had
already been paid. Gemma is rescued from the “hellish pit”, mass grave by the partisans.
Gemma survives and therefore the whole Berlin family is formed, she creates a new and
happy life despite the evil in her past she overcomes it.
Past, forgiveness, remembrance and memory
Role: The whole story of Briar Rose is dependent on the remembrance and memory of others
to tell the tale/history of Gemma’s unspoken and hidden past. The holocaust is a major
theme, that Yolen stresses the importance of memories that must not be forgotten,
forgiveness (minor theme), discover the past it shows the importance those who exist in the
present. What characters? Gemma, Josef and family. What can the reader learn? Some
memories will always be kept in the past – gemma’s name is never discovered, peace and
forgiveness can be made from terrible things. How Yolen presents the theme: through her
characters – events and consequences of the Holocaust are portrayed to us through different
eyes, Gemma has forgotten her past and relives it through a fairytale, and her past was so
traumatic that in order to cope Gemma’s memory of the past was always presented in a
unique way to her family. Quotes: “I have no memories in my head but one…a fairytale” –
Gemma pg 211, “and as god forgives them, they will also be forgiven by the souls of the Jews
and the Gypsies and the Communists and priests” – father Stashau pg, “one likes to
remember being a hero” – Magda pg 229, “time may heal wounds but it does not erase the
scars” – Stan pg 81
Journey/quest for meaning
 Yolen uses the motif of a hero’s physical and emotional quest to explore historical
concerns of the Holocaust and WW2
 The typical hero’s journey ends ‘happily ever after’, many difficulties and obstacles
are experienced during the journey before reaching the end. Despite the fact that
their stories ended ‘happily ever after’, like man Jews and victims of war, Gemma and
Joesf’s ‘happily ever after’ were shadowed by the terrible and painful memories of the
Holocaust.
 The focus is Becca’s quest for meaning. She is searching for the truth of Gemma’s
past in order to give herself and the Berlin family enlightenment as to their family
background/history.
 Becca makes a deathbed promise to Gemma to seek the truth and thus give meaning
to Gemma’s story and life.
 The reader follows Becca on her journey and shares in the sadness and joy it brings.
The reader can learn why uncovering the past can bring freedom and greater
meaning to the individual.
Survival of the human spirit (including courage and heroism)
Role: it shows how heroic Gemma and Josef’s story is, the power of survival, great empathy,
human spirit’s resilience, more from the novel, moral and lesson. Its purpose is to inform
people on the effects of such wars and things as the holocaust and destruction of human life.
To let people get an insight into this different period in time – nothing like (we hope) anyone
could experience in their lifetime. What Characters?: Gemma, Josef, Partisans. What can
the reader learn?: Overcoming traumatic truths can be excruciatingly difficult for someone
who has experienced the presence of evil. We notice that Gemma slowly reveals a degree of
truth in her fairytale story as she told the entire lyrics of a song “look at me: I’m pale and dead.
I had already washed and said the blessing when in walked the khapermenshn
(kidnapper)…”. We learn about that the resilience of the human spirit is so strong that they
were determined to move on with rather than giving up. How does Yolen present the
theme?: The theme is mostly evident in Josef’s account of his Holocaust experience.
Gemma’s telling of Briar Rose uses a simplistic contrast between the character of the prince
and the peasant. Yolen uses a diverse range of characters in the real life story to display
different examples of survival of the human spirit and courage. Josef expresses numerous
times his survival of the Holocaust and his views on heroism, courage and survival. “this is a
story of survivors, not heroes…a man are not a hero if he scrabbles to stay alive, if he
struggles for one more crust of bread, one more ragged breath. We were all heroes of the
moment”. Josef provides the reader with an interesting idea of courage and the human spirit.
Initially, we see a man, who perhaps believes in the ideal of strength and courage, but does
not follow it through into his actions, “…started to say something…about being men, about
fighting, about dying with honour…” as opposed to, “…he admitted finally not only to
homosexuality, but named his past lovers as well.” Finally after escaping Sachenhausen he
quotes, “he was not afraid…he had no fear left,” this transition is an example of how the
events of the war had influenced Josef’s change in attitude towards survival and courage,
resulting in a man who had become numb to the horrors of the Holocaust, yet to an extent, a
stronger man than he was before. Quotes: “it is our sacred duty to fight when we can and to
die if we must” Henrik, “we have not come here to stay alive. It is our sacred duty to fight
when we can and to die if we must, but to avenge what they have done to our Germany” pg
182.
Identity – growth and truth
Role: The theme identity plays a large role in the novel when it comes to discovering
Gemma’s past. Gemma’s identity at the start of the novel is hidden; we know very little to
almost nothing about her past. Throughout the duration of the book Becca (Gemma’s
granddaughter) is on a journey to discover and unveil the truth about Gemma and her past,
as well as revealing her identity. During this journey Becca discovers not only her
grandmother’s identity, but also her own, Becca grows up and realises that her grandmother
chose her to find the truth because she and Becca are so much alike. We also discover
Josef’s identity and his past life and what he is today – a hero. What can be learned from
the theme: Learn about the identities of each character. The truth and identity of Gemma’s.
Identity is important about knowing who we are and giving a sense of where we come from.
Becca’s learning of the truth and the finding the family’s identity allowed her to grow. How
Yolen presents the theme: Similes, Intertextuality, Repetition, Allegory, Symbolism,
Narrative voices, Language, Irony. Quotes: “She had a new baby but no husband and….
That is all I remember” pg 83, ”She carried herself like a princess” pg 84, “You asked where it
was, Rebecca, and I answered you. Kulmhof. It was not even a concentration camp. It was
simply a place of… extermination.” Pg 96, “This was Gemma” Pg 100
Family, love and loyalty
Role: family love and loyalty in the novel make us aware of what can happen to people in a
difficult time. The Holocaust brought together strong groups of people who fought to survive
together. Becca’s family are very loving and supporting towards her decision to research
Gemma’s history – this shows the importance of family and love. Yolen has used the novel as
a way to tell truths about the past and from this, the themes and central ideas have emerged.
Characters linked to theme: majority. What can we learn: Importance of family history +
love, learning where we came from and who we are as a person. How Yolen presents the
theme: loyalty is shown through Becca and Josef. Becca – loyal to Gemma, Josef –
partisans. Techniques. Quotes: “I am with child” she said “and I will not let it die” – Gemma.