Genre
Novel
Setting and Context
The novel is set in 1993 in Germany in the context of economic downfall.
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is catastrophic, and the mood is moving.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Sascha Muchteschem.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when the economic crisis creates an atmosphere of panic due to the possible loss of jobs and financial constraints in the economy's collapse. The frustration is directed to strangers, and a series of xenophobic attacks becomes the order of the day.
Climax
The climax comes when Sascha knows the truth about the demise of his parents and grandfather.
Foreshadowing
Economic recession foreshadowed doom for foreigners in Germany because they became the targets of xenophobic attacks.
Understatement
Germany's internal crisis is understated because the economic downfall has no direct connection to foreigners.
Allusions
The story alludes to the challenges of living in a foreign country, especially when there is a crisis.
Imagery
The images of attacks and dehumanization of Turkish people in Germany paints a picture of intolerance. The locals took advantage of the economic downfall to turn their anger to foreigners.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Sascha’s grandfather committed suicide despite being honored for his exemplary service in the army during WWI.
Parallelism
Xenophobic attacks parallel the daily experiences that the Turkish and Jewish Germans go through in contemporary Germany.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Economic recession is personified as the trigger of the attacks towards foreigners.
