The Silver Sword

“It gave a coating of white fur to the twelve-foot double fence of wire that surrounded the clearing. In stormy weather it blew into the bare huts through cracks in the walls. There was no comfort in Zakyna. The camp was crowded with prisoners.”

The camp of Zakyna is both inescapable and intolerable due to the crowded, spartan, and freezing conditions. The real historical event of Nazi concentration camps is alluded to in Joseph’s experiences. The characterization of Zakyna as barricaded and secure—with its “twelve-foot double fence of wire”—serves to make Joseph’s later escape more remarkable and to further demonstrate his daring and determination.

“He would sit around the hut, thinking of his family and staring at the few tattered photos of them that he had been allowed to keep.”

Joseph’s love for his family and desire to return to them is shown through his staring at the photos of them. That they are “tattered” implies that they are often handled by Joseph, further illustrating his pain and sadness at being forcibly separated from them. The Importance of Family is referred to as an important theme here.

“Joseph drew back the elastic. He heard the padlock on the flap being unlocked. The flap slid aside. The guard had not seen Joseph when the stone struck him in the middle of the forehead and knocked him down. The floor shook as he tumbled. He groaned and rolled over. Joseph must act quickly, before the guard came to his senses. He knew the guard kept his bunch of keys in his greatcoat pocket. He must get hold of them without delay. He must lift the guard till they were within reach. He took a hook and line from under his bed. He had made the line by cutting thin strips from his blanket and plaiting them together. The hook was a bent four-inch nail that he had smuggled in from his hut.”

Joseph’s escape, which is ingenious and thoroughly planned with carefully fashioned tools, like the slingshot and the hook, shows him to be both intelligent and determined. Joseph’s escape—motivated by his desire to return to his family—contributes to the themes of The Importance of Family and Resilience and Determination in the Face of Immense Hardship.