What is the theme of Kindertransport?

The core theme of the play is Separation – of child from mother. Every human being experiences this primal loss at birth and in different ways as they grow up. It happens to us all. Helga and Eva, Lil and Eva, Evelyn and Faith; the relationship between mother and daughter is explored throughout the play.

How is the Ratcatcher presented in Kindertransport?

The Ratcatcher in this scene is portrayed as an evil and dark mysterious figure, whose ultimate plan is not immediately recognised, but towards the end of the scene, the Ratcatcher is the embodiment and symbol of separation, as the scene moves into another short scene which depicts Eva finally on the Kindertransport …

Why did Diane Samuels write Kindertransport?

What inspired you to base a play around those whose lives were impacted by the Kindertransport? Three incidents led me to write “Kindertransport”. The first was a discussion with a close friend, in her late twenties and born into a comfortable, secure home, who described her struggle to deal with the guilt of survival.

When was Kindertransport by Diane Samuels written?

1993
Diane Samuels’ fascinating 1993 play, Kindertransport, tells three stories simultaneously, one of them extraordinarily well.

What does the Ratcatcher Symbolise?

Samuels uses this device further to underline that the Ratcatcher can be seen as Eva’s dark side, which stands for her guilt, shame and fear concerning her past.

Who is faith Kindertransport?

Faith is one of the central characters in the play as she is the daughter of Evelyn and the granddaughter of Lil. As a result of this, she is directly impacted by the Kindertransport, which her mother travelled on as a child from her home town in Germany to England during the Second World War.

Who is Eva in Kindertransport?

Eva Schlesinger – nine year old German girl who grows up and is seventeen by the end of the play. Evelyn – a middle-classed English woman in her fifties.

What was the pied pipers pipe made of?

silver pipe
He then began to play all through the town a silver pipe of the most magnificent sort. All the children who heard his pipe, in the number of 130, followed him to the East Gate and out of the town to the so-called execution place or Calvary.

What was Kindertransport BBC Bitesize?

In 1938, nine months before the Second World War, England opened its borders to around 10,000 children, mostly Jewish, who were fleeing the Nazi regime. The children were sent, without their parents, out of Austria, Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia in a process that became known as Kindertransport.

What can you infer about Evelyn based on the dialogue in paragraphs 1 4?

Based on paragraph’s 1-4 of the play, what can the reader infer about Evelyn? She feels ashamed of her past and would rather not talk about it. She believes that telling Faith about her past will bring them closer together.

How does Kindertransport end?

Eva and Lil both eventually become at peace with one another and get on well; Eva is shown as gradually losing her Jewish roots. One day Helga arrives when Eva is in her late teens and Eva tells Helga that Lil and Jack have adopted her and she has been naturalised as English, and her name is now Evelyn.