Victoria Vance: Prisoner B-3087

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Prisoner B-3087 was a pretty easy read for me, the only difficulty I had with this novel was that some events were incredibly rushed, so I couldn't really revel in the details of the novel and absorb what all was going on. However, the content and structure of the story was very easy to follow and read along. Although the events that Yanek experienced was briefly exposed to the reader, they were packed with such strong emotion that it moves you as a reader. The most interesting aspect of all for me as that the thought of Yanek believing he had no family left, actually motivates him more to live. This was an incredible attitude, because most people that feel as if they lose everything (especially family) their will to move forward diminishes exponentially. So, for the loss of his family being the motivation for Yanek is fascinating in his own right, and it is also his almost his "reward" for surviving the Nazis; as he is reunited with a close family friend and a few other extended family members.

Also, speaking of Yanek's attitude, it seems as if he is going through an intrinsic conflict with himself. For instance, he begins with boy-ish intentions and perceptions of the world, yet as he continues his journey through the many concentration camps Yanek begins to develop a stronger sense of a more mature self --adult-like. Even though there is a clear representation of Yanek's boy-ish perception of life and his man-like perception of life, there is no clear transition, as he continues to go back and forth throughout the entirety of the novel. By this aspect I was slightly disappointed because I thought for sure that his bar mitzvah would mark the psychological motive for Yanek  to have act and think more like a man rather than a boy. Despite my disappointment, I think that it could be a very natural reaction for a young kid to go through something as horrific as the holocaust: they want to brave and to survive for the lost, and yet they seek comfort as well from the horrors of the camp.

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