English Literature | Kindertransport - Diane Samuels

Welcome to Your Kindertransport Study Guide!

Hello! We know studying modern drama can sometimes feel like solving a puzzle, especially when plays jump between different times and places. Don't worry! Diane Samuels' Kindertransport is a powerful and rewarding play once you understand its structure.

In these notes, we will break down the plot, explore the major themes of identity and survival, and show you exactly how Samuels uses dramatic techniques to create tension. By the end, you'll be ready to tackle any exam question on this fantastic work!

Why Study Kindertransport?

As a piece of Modern Drama, this play is important because it doesn't just tell a story; it explores the psychological cost of historical events, often using clever, non-traditional structures (like flashbacks) to show how the past constantly impacts the present.

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Section 1: Historical Context and Background

To understand the play, you must first understand the event it is named after.

The Kindertransport (1938-1939)

The Kindertransport (German for "Children’s Transport") was a rescue mission that took place just before the start of World War II. It allowed thousands of Jewish children, mostly from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, to travel to Great Britain, saving them from the persecution of the Nazi regime.

Key Facts to Remember (The Setup)

• The children were aged up to 17.
• They traveled alone; parents were not allowed to accompany them.
• It was intended to be a temporary separation, but many children never saw their parents again.
• The mission ended abruptly when WWII officially began in September 1939.

Did you know? The children who arrived in Britain often had to quickly learn English and adapt to very different cultures, leading to a profound sense of loss and fractured identity.

Historical Trauma and Memory

The play explores the long-term emotional damage caused by separation, war, and displacement. This is known as Trauma. For many survivors, the only way to cope was to forget or suppress their painful memories—a central conflict for the character Eva/Evelyn.

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Section 2: Plot, Structure, and Dual Timeline

The most important structural element of Kindertransport is its use of a non-linear structure, meaning the story does not simply move from beginning to end in chronological order. Instead, the play cuts between two distinct time periods.

The Two Timelines

Samuels uses two timelines, which often share the stage space simultaneously:

1. The Past (1930s-1940s): Follows the journey of Eva, a young girl in Hamburg, her traumatic departure, her arrival in England, and her life with her foster mother, Lil.
2. The Present (1980s): Follows Evelyn (the adult Eva) and her daughter, Faith, as they prepare to move house. This timeline focuses on Evelyn’s deep secrecy and Faith’s attempts to uncover her mother's hidden past.

Understanding Non-Linearity (Flashbacks)

Think of the play like a photograph album. When Faith opens an old box or mentions something, Evelyn’s memories are triggered, and the stage literally shifts into a Flashback.

Analogy: Imagine watching a detective show where the detective (Faith) keeps finding clues that make the camera zoom into a previous, hidden event (Eva’s past). This technique is powerful because it shows that the past is never truly "over"—it lives inside the person.

Key Plot Points

• The Discovery: Faith finds a suitcase in the attic containing Eva’s old letters and documents. This discovery forces Evelyn to confront her past.
• The Separation: Young Eva leaves her loving mother, Helga, and travels to England. This is a moment of immense pain and is often revisited.
• The Name Change: Eva changes her name to Evelyn and deliberately cuts ties with her Jewish, German identity to survive in England. This is her ultimate act of self-protection.
• The Revelation: Evelyn learns her mother, Helga, survived the war but had been searching for her. Evelyn chose not to respond, cementing her new, English identity. This is the source of her enormous guilt.

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Section 3: Analysis of Key Characters

The relationships between the women—Eva, Evelyn, Helga, Lil, and Faith—form the emotional core of the play.

1. Eva Schlesinger / Evelyn Withcomb

The Protagonist (Central Character)

Eva and Evelyn are the same person but represent different identities:

• Eva: Young, German, Jewish, emotional, vulnerable, deeply attached to her mother, Helga. She represents the identity lost due to trauma.
• Evelyn: Adult, cold, highly controlled, English, non-religious. She is desperate to keep her past a secret and views memory as a danger, not a comfort.

Focus Point: Evelyn believes that to survive, she had to become a new person. Her fear is that if Faith learns the truth, she will lose her daughter, just as she lost Helga.

2. Faith

The Investigator

Faith is Evelyn’s modern, outspoken daughter. She symbolizes the younger generation's desire for honesty and understanding. She is the detective who forces the painful truth to the surface. Her drive exposes Evelyn’s denial.

3. Helga Schlesinger (Eva’s Mother)

The Sacrificial Mother

Helga represents the immense sacrifice of motherhood during the war. Her decision to send Eva away was the most loving choice she could make, though it meant profound, long-lasting separation. Her memory haunts Evelyn.

4. Lil Miller (Eva’s Foster Mother)

The Substitute Mother

Lil is the English woman who takes Eva in. She is kind, practical, and a little reserved. She provides the safety and stability that allowed Eva (Evelyn) to survive, effectively providing the tools for the new, English identity.

5. The Ratcatcher

The Ratcatcher is a symbolic figure, usually played by the same actor as the adult men in the play. He represents the ever-present danger and the sinister, destructive forces of Nazism and anti-Semitism. He appears in Eva’s journey, a chilling reminder of the threat that forced her escape.

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Section 4: Major Themes and Ideas

These themes are the backbone of your essay arguments. Remember to link them back to the characters and the plot structure.

1. Identity and Belonging

This is the central theme. The play asks: Who am I if I deny where I came from?

• Name Change: Eva changes her name to Evelyn to sever her connection to her German, Jewish past and integrate fully into British society.
• Assimilation: Eva tries desperately to assimilate (fit in). She rejects German language, food, and culture.
• Loss of Self: Evelyn gains safety but loses her authentic self. She feels neither truly German nor fully English.

2. Trauma, Memory, and Denial

Evelyn deals with her trauma through denial and secrecy—she packs her past away in a suitcase and locks it in the attic, hoping it will disappear.

• Faith, by contrast, argues that memory is necessary for understanding and healing.
• The stage setup itself (attic) symbolizes the suppressed memories hidden away.

3. Motherhood and Separation

The play explores the complex, painful relationship between mothers and daughters across three generations (Helga & Eva; Lil & Eva; Evelyn & Faith).

• Helga made the ultimate sacrifice (separation for survival).
• Evelyn’s attempt to protect Faith by hiding the past is, ironically, a form of emotional separation.

4. The Cost of Survival

While the Kindertransport saved lives, Samuels shows that survival came at a high emotional cost—guilt, identity loss, and fractured family ties. Evelyn survives physically, but her emotional life is stunted by fear.

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Section 5: Key Dramatic Techniques

Modern Drama relies heavily on Stagecraft—how the play looks and works on stage.

1. Stage Design and Set

Samuels uses the set to emphasize the relationship between time and memory:

• Simultaneous Settings: The stage often features both the tidy, modern 1980s kitchen/living room (Evelyn’s controlled present) and the cluttered, forgotten attic space (Eva’s past).
• Symbolism of the Attic: The attic is a liminal space (a doorway between worlds) where forgotten things (memories, the suitcase) are stored.

2. Symbolism

A. The Suitcase

The suitcase is the most important symbol.

At the start: It holds Eva's few belongings, symbolizing her rootlessness and separation.

In the 1980s: It is locked in the attic, symbolizing Evelyn's decision to pack away and deny her painful past. When Faith opens it, the past bursts out.

B. The Name Change

Changing from Eva Schlesinger to Evelyn Withcomb is a symbolic rejection of her heritage and a painful self-imposed separation from her birth identity.

3. Dialogue and Language

• Use of German: Occasional German words and phrases (especially from Helga and young Eva) highlight the cultural difference and the distance Eva travelled.
• Evelyn’s Language: Evelyn's dialogue is often clipped, defensive, and lacking emotion, reflecting her control and suppression of feelings.

Encouraging Phrase: When discussing techniques, always ask yourself: "How does this choice make the audience feel?" Samuels uses these techniques to create a feeling of tension and unresolved pain.

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Study Summary: Your Action Plan

To succeed in your exam on Kindertransport, focus on these three areas:

1. Structure: Explain the use of the Dual Timeline and Flashbacks and why this non-linear structure is vital for exploring trauma.

2. Conflict: Identify the major conflicts: Eva vs. Helga (separation); Evelyn vs. Faith (secrecy); Evelyn vs. Herself (identity).

3. Symbolism: Write confidently about the meaning of the Suitcase and the Name Change as reflections of denial and survival.

You’ve covered the entire play now. Great job! Remember, literature is about understanding people and their choices. Focus on Evelyn’s deep sadness and the reasons behind her denial, and your analysis will be strong.