The Acquisition and Loss of Identity

Throughout the novel the author explores the acquisition and loss of identity through the novel's structure. By writing the narrative from Misha's distanced point of view, the author is able to trace the ways in which Misha's childhood in 1939 Warsaw shaped the man he ultimately becomes.

With no memory of his family prior his arrival in the city, Misha lacks traditional identifying structures. His eight year life has consisted primarily of stealing and running. Smuggling and fleeing are the only things he knows about himself. He holds this portion so close to his sense of self that he even introduces himself to Uri and the other boys as Stopthief, the cry he often hears post-pickpocketing.

As the novel unfolds, however, Misha uses his friends, their beliefs and explanations of the world, even of him, to shape his identity. Because the world...