Discussion Questions... every day of the week was in a different language. Anna has learned to speak many languages. What other skills and qualities do you think Anna might have learned from her father? Do you think these attributes might help her or hinder her throughout the novel? Anna associates the German language with the cheerful and kind Herr Doktor Fuchsmann. How do Anna s encounters with the German soldiers in this chapter challenge her view of language? 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 235
anna and the swallow man When Anna s father leaves her, he puts her in the care of Herr Doktor Fuchsmann. Why might Anna s father have chosen the Herr Doktor, and do you think he made a good choice? When things grow tense in the city, the Herr Doktor decides that he just couldn t have her in his shop anymore. Does our opinion of the Herr Doktor change throughout this chapter? Can you justify his actions? What do you learn about the Swallow Man through his interactions with Anna and the young soldier? What adjectives might you use to describe him? 236 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 236
In the morning, he said, I will take you back to Kraków... Do you believe that the Swallow Man means what he says to Anna about returning her to Kraków? What might have changed or influenced his ultimate decision? If I ever look too much like myself, you must tell me. What examples are you given of the Swallow Man being a chameleon who is able to adapt and change? Do you feel that his avoidance of being himself is a good attribute to have? Do you feel you have glimpsed the real man? 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 237
anna and the swallow man The Swallow Man refers to their relationship as a river being guided by a riverbank. And someday, said the tall man, when you are much, much older, you must ask me what erosion is. What he is implying when he speaks of erosion? What effect do you think Anna might have on the Swallow Man? Names are ways for people to find us, said the tall man. If you keep a name, people know whom to ask after. Why do you think it is important that Anna and the Swallow Man give up their names? Do you feel it is right for Anna to put her trust in the Swallow Man? 238 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 238
Great significance is given to the objects and belongings that the Swallow Man carries. How do each of these serve to underline the trickster nature of the Swallow Man? The final item in the Swallow Man s bag is a handmade baby shoe. Why do you think the Swallow Man is carrying this item and what might it tell us about this mysterious stranger? How does the Swallow Man use Road language to describe the German and Russian soldiers? Why do you think he chooses to explain things to Anna through the use of metaphor? Is this just another form of lying? Discuss other examples of metaphor in the novel. 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 239
anna and the swallow man Anna and the Swallow Man tame wild beasts with fruit by deceiving the border guards at the checkpoints. How do you feel about Anna taking on the role of Sweetie and playing her part for the Swallow Man? Do you accept that such deception is necessary for their survival? Swallow Man? she said. Where are we going? After a year of wandering, Anna confronts the Swallow Man with this poignant question. Do you feel the Swallow Man s answer is satisfactory or is it just another deception? Is the endangered species he refers to a metaphor for something else, perhaps? 240 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 240
Now she knew what rifles did. How does the opening of this chapter influence and prepare us for the meeting with Hirschl? How does the author play with our perception of the man s intentions as he places the rifle to his lips? Hirschl cannot play his instrument because the only reed he has is cracked. Instead he hums as a way of mimicking the music that he would have played. How might the cracked reed be regarded as a metaphor for the themes and characters in the novel? 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 241
anna and the swallow man Like Hirschl s broken reed, there is a sense that cracks might be beginning to show in the relationship between Anna and the Swallow Man. Discuss the journey that both characters have been subjected to in this chapter. Do you feel that this will make their bond stronger or will the cracks only deepen? The chapter ends with Anna waking up alone, without the Swallow Man. Where do you think he has gone and why? Do you believe that his threat was real and one day he might leave her? ( If I wake up and you have gone away from me again, you will not find me. I will make certain of it. ) 242 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 242
There was hardly anything the Jew did that did not seem to offend the Swallow Man s sensibilities. Discuss how Hirschl has changed the dynamics of the group. Do you think the Swallow Man made the right decision in allowing Hirschl to travel with them?... all of this that you do, it s a protective layer, like she s following around an empty suit of armor. Discuss Hirschl s description of the Swallow Man. Do you feel this is an accurate view based on what you know of the Swallow Man? 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 243
anna and the swallow man Whether you point me at a gap in the German lines or you point me at a regulated checkpoint, I will walk. Until I fall. Discuss the group s dilemma over whether to use a regulated checkpoint or the river crossing. What decision would you have made if you were the Swallow Man and for what reasons?... the Swallow Man rose from the water only feet from the clarinet. Within seconds he had it, and he dove again, his long body undulating expertly, as if he himself were only a wave of the current. Why do you think the Swallow Man risked his life to retrieve Hirschl s clarinet? How does this act link to the significance of objects throughout the novel? Three times that day, as every day, the Swallow Man took his pills, and three times that day Reb Hirschl muttered his prayers. Discuss the theme of routine and repetition in this chapter. What examples can you find of things repeating themselves? Why might this theme be relevant to the story and the situations that our characters find themselves in? 244 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 244
It was swift, said the Swallow Man. I waited until he slept. There was very little pain. He barely knew. What motives would the Swallow Man have for killing the Peddler? Which of these reasons do you think may have been the most important to him?... You ve become one of them! You re a spiller of blood, a... a taker of life! Hirschl is shocked and angered by the Swallow Man s actions. Do you feel that the Swallow Man has let Anna 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 245
anna and the swallow man down by what he has done? Whose side would you take in the argument over the killing of the Peddler? Winter had come. Many of the key scenes and character moments in the novel occur during winter. In this chapter, we witness the Swallow Man growing weaker and more ill, due to his lack of medication. Why do you think the author uses the season of winter as a backdrop for much of this story? Why is finding the dwór (the Polish manor) so important for Anna? The building is described as being two places trying to occupy the same house. What are these places and how might these reflect the character of Anna? 246 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 246
... for a moment she thought of just walking out of the old house and leaving him there, going off into the forests and plains and wetlands to fend for herself alone. Discuss why you think Anna chose to stay at the house rather than leave or go to find food. Do you agree with her decision? Do you believe that the Swallow Man really has magical powers? How does the encounter with the two boys further underline the theme of deception and trickery in the novel? Do you think anyone from the boys settlement would 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 247
anna and the swallow man believe their story and were Anna and the Swallow Man right to leave the dwór? Anna began, quietly, to panic. She had forgotten all of the Swallow Man s rules. Can you forgive Anna for forgetting the rules at this crucial moment in the pharmacy? Was this the time when she most needed to remember the Swallow Man s guidance? How might she have approached the encounter differently? At the old man s house we are given further clues to the Swallow Man s background. Revisit the chapter What ll You Give Me and the Swallow Man s conversation with Hirschl about the consequences of what could happen if he was found (p. 171). Do you now have a clearer picture of who the Swallow Man is and his reasons for going on the run? 248 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 248
One day I would like to know everything, like you. Discuss the Swallow Man s response to Anna s statement. What is his view of knowledge, and what advice is he giving Anna and the reader? The title of the epilogue is The Uncertainty Principle. How does this link to the Swallow Man s discussion of knowledge and questions? Do you still have unanswered questions at the close of the novel? Do you think it is an effective storytelling tool to leave the reader with some uncertainty? 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 249
anna and the swallow man Across the surface of the water, Anna s shadow stood tall and long and sure, her head pointing straight to the coming country. Do you feel this story has a happy ending? What do you think the future has in store for Anna and how has the Swallow Man s lessons helped to prepare her for this new life? Anna and the Swallow Man could be described as a fable. Discuss the elements that make it a fable and consider if there is a moral or central message to the story that the reader might take away with them. 9780141376646_AnnaAndTheSwallowMan_TXT.indd 250