Symbolism in Kindertransport: The Ratcatcher, the Attic and Important Objects

Diane Samuels uses symbols throughout Kindertransport to connect Eva’s childhood with Evelyn’s adult life. Characters, settings and objects carry memories from one time period into another. They help the audience understand Eva’s fear, changing identity and relationships with her family. Symbolism is especially useful for AO2 because it allows you to discuss language, dramatic form and structure together.

For exam practice, visit our full collection of Kindertransport past exam questions. Past questions have asked directly about the Ratcatcher, the attic, journeys, settings and symbols.

What is symbolism?

A symbol is a person, place or object that represents a wider idea.

In Kindertransport, Samuels uses symbols to explore:

• separation
• fear
• memory
• identity
• family
• survival
• guilt

The same symbol can carry several meanings. Its significance may also change as Eva grows into Evelyn.

The Ratcatcher

The Ratcatcher comes from Eva’s German storybook, Der Rattenfänger. The tale is based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who leads the town’s children away after the adults fail to keep their promise. It is Eva’s favourite story before leaving Germany. Its ideas of children being taken away, frightened parents and an unknown destination all connect closely with the Kindertransport.

The Ratcatcher gradually becomes a visible figure on stage. He represents many of Eva and Evelyn’s fears, including:

• Nazi persecution
• separation from her parents
• the fear of being abandoned
• the loss of her childhood
• guilt connected to survival

During Eva’s train journey, the Nazi border official becomes linked with the Ratcatcher. The connection gives Eva’s childhood fear a real and threatening form. Later, Eva fears the Ratcatcher when Lil tries to send her away during the evacuation of Manchester. Another journey away from a mother figure brings back the terror of her first separation.

When Helga returns after the war, Evelyn also associates her with the Ratcatcher. Helga wants to take her to New York, while Evelyn sees England and Lil as her home. The Ratcatcher now represents Evelyn’s fear of being taken away from the life she has built.
At the end of the play, the Ratcatcher’s shadow remains with Evelyn in the attic. This final image suggests that her fear and trauma continue into adulthood.

The Ratcatcher can support exam answers on fear, separation, memory, survival, Helga, Evelyn and the ending.

The attic

The attic is the main setting of the play. It holds boxes, furniture, toys, letters, photographs and objects from Evelyn’s childhood. Evelyn has stored these belongings out of sight. The setting therefore reflects the way she has kept her earlier life hidden from Faith. When Faith begins to open the boxes, she also opens the family’s history. Each discovery brings another part of Eva’s life into the present.

The attic may represent:

• stored memory
• secrecy
• the hidden past
• Evelyn’s emotional state
• the connection between generations

Samuels stages scenes from different time periods within the same space. Eva and Helga may appear alongside Evelyn and Faith. This allows the audience to see the past and present simultaneously. The attic becomes an increasingly tense space after Faith discovers the truth. Evelyn locks herself inside, tears up papers and struggles to speak about her childhood. The enclosed setting reflects her need for control and her fear of what may happen when the past is uncovered.

By the end of the play, the attic has been tidied. Some objects are given to Faith, while Evelyn keeps others. The family has begun to address its history, and Evelyn is still in control, choosing how much she is able to share.

You can learn more about the staging of the attic in Language, Form and Structure in Kindertransport.

Trains and journeys

Trains appear throughout the play as real objects, sounds and childhood toys. Eva travels from Germany to England by train. This journey saves her life and separates her from her parents. Trains therefore become connected with survival, loss and forced change.

Faith finds a toy train in the attic and lays out the track while scenes from Eva’s past take place nearby. The toy links Faith’s childhood with her mother’s journey. It also helps bring Eva’s memories to the present. The song “Runaway Train” adds another connection. The idea of a train that continues down the track reflects movement that becomes difficult to stop. Once Eva leaves Germany, her life follows a new direction.

Train sounds also help move the action between locations and time periods. They remind the audience that journeys shape Eva’s life repeatedly. Journeys can support questions about separation, identity, change and the significance of the title.

The shoes, watch and jewellery

Before Eva leaves Germany, Helga hides a watch and jewellery inside the heels of her shoes. The jewellery includes rings, a bracelet and a Star of David.

These objects connect Eva with:

• her parents
• her Jewish identity
• family history
• inheritance
• Helga’s hopes for her future

Helga describes children as jewels and explains that older generations invest their future in them. The hidden jewellery gives physical form to this idea. Eva carries her family’s history with her as she travels. The watch suggests the movement of time. Eva can hear it ticking inside the shoe, though she cannot see its face. This connects with the structure of the play, where past and present remain closely linked.

As Eva grows older, her feelings towards the jewellery change. The objects become associated with parents who have failed to arrive in England and a past that is filled with pain. Her treatment of the items reflects her changing identity.

The shoes also have practical significance. Eva walks on the concealed valuables without being able to reach them. The image suggests that her family history remains with her even though she may not be able to fully access it.

The harmonica

Eva hides the harmonica in her suitcase because she wants to take it to England. The Nazi border official finds it and orders her to play. The harmonica becomes connected with fear during the journey. It is also linked with music, childhood and Eva’s former life.
Later, Faith finds the instrument in the attic and plays it. The sound crosses the distance between generations and brings Eva’s memories into Faith’s present.

Evelyn keeps the harmonica at the end of the play. Her decision shows that some objects remain closely tied to her identity and memories. Music also accompanies the Ratcatcher throughout the play. This creates a further connection between the harmonica, childhood stories and fear.

Letters and photographs

Letters and photographs provide evidence of Eva’s family history. Faith learns about Eva through the papers she finds in the attic. The letters reveal her parents’ attempts to stay connected with their daughter after she reaches England. For Faith, these documents offer access to a family she has never known. For Evelyn, they carry memories she has tried to control.

Evelyn tears up some of the papers during her confrontation with Faith. The action shows the strength of her distress. It also raises questions about who has responsibility for preserving family memory.

Letters and photographs can support essays on memory, secrecy, truth and the relationship between Evelyn and Faith.

The toys and dolls

Faith finds toys and dolls from her childhood stored in the attic. She lays them out while Eva’s childhood is also shown on stage. The toys connect Faith with the child her mother once was. They also emphasise the movement between generations: Eva loses her childhood home, while Faith’s childhood belongings have been carefully stored.

At the end of the play, Faith asks for a box of her old toys. Taking them with her suggests that she will carry part of the family’s past into her new home. The toys can therefore represent childhood, inheritance and the passing of memory from mother to daughter.

The Haggadah

Helga sends Eva a Haggadah for Passover. The book connects Eva with Jewish religious practice, family tradition and the history of survival. The Passover story concerns escape from persecution and the movement towards freedom. These ideas closely relate to Eva’s own journey.

Helga encourages Eva to treat the story as a living memory. This reinforces the importance of remembering shared history and passing it to the next generation. Evelyn keeps the Haggadah at the end of the play. Its continued presence suggests that her Jewish identity remains part of her history.

How to write about a symbol

When discussing symbolism, explain how the object or figure develops a wider idea.

For example:

Samuels uses the attic as a symbol of Evelyn’s hidden memories. The boxes contain letters, photographs and objects from her childhood, which she has kept away from Faith. When Faith opens them, the past enters the present and forces Evelyn to confront the history she has tried to hide and ignore.

This response:

• identifies the symbol
• explains what it represents
• refers to stage action
• connects the symbol to a theme
• discusses its effect within the play

Avoid writing that an object “symbolises the past” and leaving the point undeveloped. Explain which part of the past it represents and how Samuels uses it on stage.

Why symbolism matters in the exam

Symbols can be used in questions about:

• the Ratcatcher
• the attic
• settings
• journeys
• the title
• memory
• fear
• identity
• family relationships
• the ending

They also provide clear opportunities to discuss AO2.

When planning an answer, consider:

• when the symbol appears
• which characters interact with it
• how its meaning develops
• how it links different time periods
• what the audience sees or hears
• which themes it supports

Read Main Themes in Kindertransport for further links between symbolism, memory, identity and separation. Our guide to How to Write a Strong Kindertransport Essay for Edexcel IGCSE explains how to include symbols within an analytical paragraph.