The Boy On The Wooden Box

Growing up in Narewka, Leon is closest to David among his siblings; but after moving to Kraków, he grows closer to Tsalig. Leon models himself after Tsalig and treats him as his role model. This is symbolized by the boys’ shoes, lined up at the foot of their bed. Leon is pleased to observe that the shoes curl up at the toes in the same way, proving that the two brothers walk similarly.

Given this closeness of Leon and Tsalig, the latter’s disappearance later is all the more devastating. Leon states in the Epilogue that the memory of Tsalig haunts him long afterward, and Leon’s mother believes that she hears “her two murdered sons calling to her” (195). Eventually, Leon’s grandson bears the middle name of Tsalig. 

Called Bescheinigung in German, this document of Leon’s father’s states that a German company officially employs him. As such, it provides security for him during the Nazi occupation—a “shield of protection and status” (69). The permit proves that he can provide a useful service to the Germans and he is not expendable. Later, Tsalig’s lack of a work permit causes the Nazis to arrest him.