Then

Zelda is a precocious 6-year-old, the only family Felix has left in Then. Like Felix, Zelda is an orphan. Her parents were Nazis and were killed by the Polish Resistance. Zelda has developed a bitter hatred toward her parents, and this attitude extends to all Nazis and causes her to misbehave in ways that draw attention to her, Felix, and Genia. This tendency them all in danger several times, for Zelda cannot help but act out against the Nazis in various ways. Although Zelda is not Jewish, traveling with Felix puts her in the same perilous situation. Because she has dark hair, her locket containing portraits of her Nazi parents is her greatest defense. However, out of loyalty to Felix, Zelda refuses to accept this protection and instead claims that she is Jewish. Zelda takes on the false name of Violetta when she and Felix take refuge with Genia.

Zelda has a big heart and is a courageous defender of her friends. She has a strong sense of morality, and she refuses to do anything that she does not understand to be right. It is for this reason that she cannot fully pretend to be someone who is indifferent to the plight of the Jews. Zelda’s loving nature is exemplified by her love and empathy for animals; she forms a close attachment to Leopold the dog, Trotski the pig, and the chickens that live in Genia’s barn. She is devastated when the animals are all killed or stolen by the Nazi soldiers. Zelda’s life is also tragically cut short when she and Genia are executed for aiding Jews. Felix nearly gives in to despair at the news of her death, but he ultimately chooses to live on to preserve her memory. To Felix, Zelda represents the hope that people should try to be the best human beings they can be.

Genia is a young, Polish farmer who rescues and takes in Felix and Zelda at great peril to her own life. By the time she takes the children in, Genia’s husband, Gabriek, has been gone for two years, forced to work for the Nazis. Though she tries to hide it from the children, she is wracked with worry about him and dreams of him coming home. Genia is forced to manage the farm by herself in Gabriek’s absence. Before the Jewish children from the nearby orphanage were massacred, they used to occasionally labor on her farm.

Genia represents the altruism of many of Europe’s non-Jewish people during the Holocaust. Although antisemitism was rampant during this time, many people like Genia risked their lives and their families’ lives to hide Europe’s persecuted Jews from the Nazis who sought to exterminate them. Many Jewish lives were saved this way; many allies, like Genia, lost their lives. Genia was raised in an antisemitic culture and even uses antisemitic slurs and stereotypes early on in the novel. However, although she was raised to dislike Jews, she hates Nazis and people who harm children even more. Through her interactions with Felix, Genia grows as a person, showing that people can rise above the prejudices with which they were raised. In a tragic twist of fate, Genia is hanged for harboring Felix on the very day that Gabriek returns to her. Although she was never reunited with her husband, her heroism kept Felix alive, and Felix will preserve her memory by living on.

Cyryl, one of the main antagonists in Then, is the leader of a gang of boys in the nearby town. He is the son of the shop owners with whom Genia frequently barters. The Szynsky family are Nazi supporters, and Cyryl has picked up his parents’ tendency toward cruelty and antisemitism. Cyryl is the antithesis of Amon Kurtz, the Hitler Youth who secretly disagrees with Nazi ideology. Cyril initially tries to recruit Felix into his gang, on the condition that Felix proves that he is not Jewish by showing the gang that he is not circumcised. When Felix acts evasively, it arouses Cyryl’s suspicion. He tries several times throughout the novel to expose Felix as a Jew, but he is thwarted by Amon and even by an SS soldier. This failure to turn Felix in only fuels Cyryl’s hatred further. When Mrs. Szynsky reports Genia, Zelda, and Mr. Krol to the police, Cyryl gleefully points Felix toward where they are hanging on display in the town square.

Amon Kurtz is a member of the Hitler Youth who becomes an unlikely ally for Felix. Amon first notices Felix when Felix drops his Richmal Crompton book during a Hitler Youth parade. Though their interaction is brief, Felix knows that liking Richmal Crompton makes Amon trustworthy. Amon and the rest of the Hitler Youth in town are stationed at the former Jewish orphanage; the orphans were cruelly massacred to make room for the Hitler Youth and the Nazi soldiers. Amon does not agree with what the Nazis are doing to the Jews or with the war itself, but there is nothing he can do to stop it. He tells Felix that he wishes Richmal Crompton were the leader of Germany instead of Adolf Hitler. The two boys’ brief bond over their favorite author demonstrates the shared humanity between the persecuted and the persecutors. When Felix and Dov plan to blow up the Hitler Youth/SS headquarters, running into Amon cuts through Felix’s rage and grief at losing Genia and Zelda. Amon’s presence reminds him that there are decent people who are conscripted into doing work for evil purposes against their will. If Felix had detonated his grenades without hesitation, Amon would have died, too. Amon ultimately helps Felix decide to commit to living as a good person, rather than giving in to The Desire for Revenge.