The Boy On The Wooden Box

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.

Mr. Luftig, with whom Leon and his family live in the ghetto, owns a collection of smoking pipes. Luftig is a “patient and generous man” (80), and the pipes represent an “orderly and civilized world beyond the control of the Nazis” (81). Luftig takes pride in his pipes, even though they are merely ornamental since he has no tobacco to put in them. While cleaning the pipes, Luftig tells Leon stories about America. Luftig and his pipes represent a better world and future outside of the ghetto and the war. When Luftig and his wife are deported, he leaves his pipe collection behind. This frightens Leon, as he takes it as an omen that Luftig will not be coming back. Thus, the pipes serve as a symbol of refined living and an omen of death.

Luftig’s gift to Leon when he departs is a glass thermos. Like the pipes, it represents a better life. It also plays a crucial role later in the story. Leon carries his thermos with him into the camp and keeps it through his time at Emalia. At the pivotal moment, when Leon is about to be transported back to Płaszów, he drops the thermos and the sound attracts the attention of Schindler. This leads Leon to plead with Schindler to take him back, which he does. Thus, in a sense, the thermos is essential to the plot and Leon’s survival.

As Leon approaches the gates of the ghetto, he sees that the Nazis have placed rounded stones on the top of the wall, stones that resemble gravestones. Leon sees this as a sign of their “flair for the sadistic” and a symbol of the fate that will be meted out to the prisoners: “Their implicit message was that we were moving into what would become our own cemetery. I could scarcely tear my eyes from the symbols of death that ‘welcomed’ us” (77).

The ring Schindler’s workers present to him when he leaves is inscribed with a saying from the Talmud: “He who saves a life saves the world entire.” The ring is made from a prisoner’s gold tooth. It represents the love and appreciation of the workers for everything Schindler has done to protect them. The quote implies that the merit of his action extends beyond the specific people he has saved.