Tzili: The Story of a Life: Analysis of Major Characters
"Tzili: The Story of a Life" presents a poignant exploration of survival through the experiences of Tzili Kraus, a young Jewish girl who faces profound adversity during the Nazi regime. The narrative illustrates her journey from being a seemingly simple-minded individual, overlooked by her family, to becoming a survivor against overwhelming odds. Tzili’s character is marked by an innate survival instinct, leading her to navigate a world rife with danger and despair, particularly after being abandoned by her family.
Key characters in Tzili's life include an old blind man who offers food but poses a threat, a religious tutor who provides her with comfort through prayers, and Katerina, an old prostitute who initially shelters her but later seeks to exploit her. Tzili’s relationship with Mark, a fellow survivor, complicates her journey as it leads to a pregnancy that adds to her struggles. The narrative introduces supportive figures like Linda, who uplifts others in despair, and a benevolent merchant who aids Tzili during her difficult moments.
Throughout her harrowing experiences, Tzili embodies resilience, showcasing how human connections and moments of kindness can persist even in the darkest of times. The story ultimately leads her toward a new beginning in Palestine, reflecting the broader themes of hope and survival amidst the Holocaust's devastation.
Tzili: The Story of a Life: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Aharon Appelfeld
First published: Kutonet veha-Pasim, 1983 (English translation, 1983)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Eastern Europe, from Poland or Russia to Yugoslavia
Plot: Allegory
Time: The Holocaust, from the late 1930's to the mid-1940's
Tzili Kraus, a young, provincial Jewish girl, plain, quiet, and not very bright. Tzili is disliked by her family for her lack of intelligence. When the Nazi troubles begin, her family decides that she is so simple that no one will bother her, so they leave Tzili behind when they try to make their escape. Although she is simple, Tzili has an innate sense of survival (such as saying that the town prostitute Maria, who is not Jewish, is her mother) that other Jews lack; no matter what troubles befall her, she goes on living in her undemanding, almost heedless, way—even when, near the end of the book, she sees Jewish survivors of concentration camps committing suicide around her. The novel follows her journey as she seems to survive accidentally, her pregnancy that ends in a stillborn child, and finally her decision to go to Palestine.
The old blind man, who sits in the fields all day. He gives Tzili some food but then tries to rape her.
The religious teacher, a Jewish tutor who is brought in by Tzili's family to teach her religion because they believe she is too stupid to learn anything more worthwhile. Although he did not feel affectionate toward Tzili, he was not cruel to her, so she remembers him as a kind man. The prayers she learned from him serve to comfort her while she is hiding in the countryside.
Katerina, a dying old prostitute, once a friend of Maria, Tzili's “adopted” mother. Katerina takes Tzili in for the winter. When Katerina becomes too ill to entice men, she tries to turn Tzili into a prostitute.
The old man and the old woman, a couple who take Tzili in after she runs away from Katerina. The old woman beats Tzili, and the old man tries to rape her, so she flees them.
Mark, a Jewish man who has escaped from a concentration camp and who is hiding in the countryside. He and Tzili hide together in a bunker that he has dug. As Tzili matures, Mark is attracted to her, and Tzili becomes pregnant by him. The hiding takes a mental toll on Mark, and one day he leaves and never returns, presumably having been captured by the Nazis.
Linda, a fat Hungarian woman who was a cabaret performer. Linda helps keep up the spirits of the fatally depressed and guilt-ridden Jews who have survived the Holocaust. At one point, she forces the group of wanderers that Tzili has joined to go back for Tzili and carry her, when Tzili is heavily pregnant and unable to continue walking. At the end of the book, she joins Tzili for the voyage to Palestine.
The merchant, another Holocaust survivor. He helps to organize the men to carry Tzili on a stretcher when she can no longer walk, and he brings her milk. When Tzili starts having a problem with her pregnancy, the merchant goes from place to place trying to get her help. He is left behind, however, when the military ambulance finally arrives to take Tzili to the hospital.
The nurse, a young gentile Czechoslovak woman. She is Tzili's nurse in the hospital in Zagreb after Tzili's dead baby is surgically removed. With the nurse, Tzili strikes a chord of solidarity for the first time. Tzili is moved away to make room for the sicker patients.