Different Worlds

The reading for tonight begins with the passage : " 'What a funny father you have,' Nellie says, giggling. She looks at me expectantly but I avoid her eyes. What can I say? She knows nothing about hunger or about the SS. Words like barracks, latrine, or crematorium mean nothing to her. She speaks a different language" (21). This passage relates to the vignette of Carl and her teacher discussing Carl's drawing of the hanging man. The teacher does not think that a child of Carl's age could possibly be exposed to such horrors as hangings, and makes a comment that the man is "flying". Later, when the teacher compliments the girl who drew pixies, Carl draws her own picture with "five in the snow and one on top of the watchtower" (5). In both of these instances, Carl's family background is clearly illustrated. Carl's drawings and thoughts reflect the gruesome tales of the concentration camp that she has heard from her father. Though just a child, Carl is able to recognize that Nellie "knows nothing" and "speaks a different language." This ability to recognize the differences between herself and those around her shows a true maturity in the young narrator. Although Carl cannot often grasp exactly what her father tells her (such as the entire principle of "camp" that is so prevalent in what we have read so far), she is able to speak or think of these events and acknowledge them in a manner which truly distinguishes her from all of those around her.