The Book of Yolek

The end-words of each line serve as recurring motifs. They are all simple, monosyllabic words that radically change their meaning according to context, from benign to horrifying. The pleasant walk that the speaker takes in Stanza 1 is very different from the “terrible walk” (Line 30) that Yolek and the children are forced to take. This contrast can also be seen in the different words that are used to describe the person’s gait. In Stanza 1, the speaker refers to his solitary “saunter” (Line 2). A saunter is a leisurely stroll, but in Stanza 4, Yolek “shamble[s]” (Line 24) out of the orphanage, flanked by armed guards. A saunter and a shamble are poles apart in meaning.

Like “walk,” the word “camp” is a recurring motif that takes on sharply opposing meanings. In the first two stanzas, a camp represents something entirely benign. As so many schoolchildren learn, summer camp is an opportunity to experience nature directly, to engage in new activities, and make new friends. Telling tales round the campfire, including scary ghost stories, is a time-honored enjoyment. But the tale of Yolek that begins in the next stanza (Stanza 3) reveals a horror of a different nature in part because it happened in real life.