Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : The Quest
The Call
Vladek must seek a way to survive in German-occupied Poland during World War II.
Vladek’s particular telling of his Holocaust experience takes a basic quest form, where he is the hero and the object of the quest is survival. Vladek must draw on his resourcefulness and cunning to succeed.
The Journey
Vladek and his family are shipped off to the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
In a typical quest, the hero voluntarily embarks on a journey. For Vladek, the journey is involuntary: the Nazis deport himself and his family to the concentration camps.
Arrival and Frustration
Vladek is incarcerated at Auschwitz.
At Auschwitz, Vladek tries to make the most of the situation. His skills as a tinsmith and a shoemaker earn him a few privileges, and even help to bring Anja over to Auschwitz from Birkenau.
The Final Ordeals
Vladek is taken to Dachau.
If you thought Auschwitz was bad, welcome to Dachau. Here, Vladek experiences the most brutal and inhumane conditions. His skills are useless, and he falls gravely ill.
The Goal
Vladek and Anja survive the concentration camps and reunite in their hometown.
After they are freed by American troops, Vladek and Anja reunite in Sosnowiec. They immigrate to Sweden, and then to the United States, where they begin a new life.