84 pages • 2 hours read
Leon LeysonThe Boy On The Wooden Box
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2013A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Leyson endorses Joseph Campbell’s definition of a hero: someone who does “the best of things in the worst of times” (205). Does Oskar Schindler fit this definition? Why or why not?
Why does Leyson conclude the book with an epilogue instead of another regular chapter? How do the events presented in the Epilogue add to the broader understanding of the story?
Leyson frames the book with the 1965 “Schindler’s Jews” reunion. What effect does this have on readers’ understanding of the story and characters?
Leyson makes extensive use of foreshadowing and uses a retrospective approach to reexamine the events of the war in the context of what came afterward. How does this technique serve to intensify the narrative?
Analyze Leyson’s depiction of Schindler. How does the author manage to convey both the positive and negative aspects of Schindler’s character?
Compare Leon’s childhood in Narewka with his postwar life in America. What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with each lifestyle?
Discuss the role of religion in the book. What religious rituals are celebrated during Leon’s experience of the Nazi oppression, and what effect do they have on Leon?
How does the experience of the Nazi oppression change the personality or emotional outlook of Leon, his mother, or his father? Cite examples from the text.
In terms of plot structure, what is the climax of The Boy in the Wooden Box?
Discuss the ways in which Leyson has tailored his book to younger readers. Consider the style of writing, the structure of the book, and the plot details that are either emphasized or elided.
