The Wind Knows My Name

A central motif relating to trauma and resolving trauma in the text is music. In Vienna, Samuel is a prodigal violinist, and his music is what secures him a seat with his violin on the Kindertransport. However, upon entering England, Samuel loses touch with his musical ability, and the text claims that he never recovered his prodigal talents. The lack of music in Samuel’s life in England represents his separation from his parents and long wait for news of them, and after he learns of their deaths, his separation from music symbolizes his difficulty processing the trauma of the Holocaust. The motif of music appears in the presence and use of instruments, such as Rachel Adler’s piano (which the Nazi rioters destroy), Samuel’s violin, and later, Samuel’s teaching Anita to play the piano.

Jazz, specifically, is Samuel’s impetus for moving to the US and is the driving force in his developing a relationship with Nadine and his career in California, all of which bring him closer to expressing his sense of self. However, because of his closed-off relationships with others and his tumultuous relationship with Nadine, these expressions can’t resolve his trauma, as evident in his pursuing lectures on music and professorship as occupations while viewing jazz as a hobby.

Nonetheless, when Anita comes to live with Samuel, he teaches her to play the piano, and he notes that her proficiency at music represents her ability to overcome her trauma, much as he has. The key difference in the two is that Anita has Samuel to guide her through this process, allowing her to express her anguish and resolve her despair through music in a way that Samuel couldn’t during his formative years in England. While Samuel was denied the opportunity to pursue music during his childhood, when he needed it most, Anita has ample time to pursue music and explore its healing abilities with Samuel in the novel’s present.