My Enemy's Cradle Character Analysis

Time and again, you hear about the history of WWII and the Holocaust, both major events in the history of the world. Yet, reiteratively the same stories fill our ears. There are stories that need to be out in the open, though are not. In Sara Young’s historical fiction novel, one of those enigmatical stories associated with the Nazi Breeding Program finally comes to light. My Enemy’s Cradle is a book that shares the story of a Jewish girl named Cyrla and what drives her to preserve herself and others. At the beginning of the story, she resides with her cousin, Uncle Pieter, and Aunt Mies in The Netherlands, due to the fact that the German Army occupies her home country of Poland. Now, the Germans are slowly occupying The Netherlands and her Uncle grows uncomfortable with harboring a Jew, even though she is owed allegiance as a member of family. So, as the Germans enter her new home, so does a load of family drama. Cyrla’s cousin and bona fide …show more content…

Upon first meeting the main character, it is obvious that she has undoubtedly clear defined relationships, many before the novel came into existence. At square one, readers see Cyrla and Anneke are eminently close. So close in fact, that both can completely and totally confide in each other about things of the utmost importance. The pair shared things about their lives and plans for the future, secrets, and things neither one would necessarily desire to tell their Anneke’s folks. Minor portions of the little secrets that Anneke has been keeping rest on pages 4 and 5 of the book. Page four happens to be when Anneke starts her big reveal to her cousin about her pregnancy (later officially announced). Where the big kicker Anneke has hidden lies on page five: “I’m leaving. I’m leaving here!” She wants to run off with this soldier who got her pregnant and marry him. Cyrla is just the first person to know, which effortlessly displays their ever so close