In what ways do you think the stampede on Christmas Eve shaped Fenna's life? What childhood experience(s) most altered your own life?

In what ways do you think the stampede on Christmas Eve shaped Fenna's life? What specific experiences did she have where you saw this event reflected?

What childhood experience(s) most altered your own life? Were there resulting obstacles you later learned to overcome?

The stampede played a lasting role in Fenna’s life. From her fear of closed spaces and crowds to her decision never to have children and her leaving Arie. When in the orphanage she is punished by being placed in the locked closet the experience is so traumatic for her that she decides escaping the orphanage is her only option. Fenna’s escape is almost derailed and she leaves her valise because she becomes so disoriented in her fear of the closed, black space. She was unable to perform some of the standard type magician’s tricks due to her fear of tight spaces. The decision to leave Arie, was due, at least impart, to her PTS from the stampede and set her upon her journey and thus provided the opportunity for the WWII portion of the story. Looking back on the novel it appears that the majority of Fenna’s life altering decisions have been made in some way, due to the trauma she experienced in the stampede.

The stampede completely defined Fennas life moving forward. It was the basis of many of the questionable decisions she made in her life.

I agree with gerrieb and rebajane. Fenna's fear of closed spaces and crowds and her conviction that she should never have children led to many of her worst decisions. At the end , though, as she helped most Evelien out of Holland, she pushed herself to overcome these fears and that was admirable.

I totally agree with the others above. The stampede certainly did not help Fenna in any way. The thought of being caught in a situation where you cannot get out and walls closing in on you are very dramatic - and can cause other problems in your life as well because of it.

gerrieb answered this question so beautifully and succinctly that I don't think there is much to add. I believe that any traumatic incident in our youth will always have a lasting effect on our lives whether for good or difficult.

Agree that gerrieb answered the question so well. Totally agree with her analysis. It definitely shaped Fenna's life. And she really did push herself when she helped Evelien escape.

I think that was the emotional arc of the novel. All other actions by fenn revolved around fear of closed spaces and the death of so many children.

Totally agree with gerrieb. Fear of closed spaces affected most of the major decisions in the rest of her life.