The short story is about a young boy and an old man, that faith has brought together. The story is told in third person and allows us, to get a view of their story told from an outside angle. The story takes place after the end of Second World War; I know that because of the year in the title “1951”. In 1945 the Second World War ended and it took quite a while to clear up all the mess the war may have caused. Where the story takes place is unknown, but it is defiantly in a place where the war has had a huge impact on civilization. The old man and the young boy live in catacombs of cellars beneath the shattered city. They make their food over a fireplace and have no electricity, and live an alternative lifestyle. This gives us the impression that it is a very rough and hard environment, and it has been a struggle to manage trough the war.
The old man seems to be a caring and loving man, because he accepted to take care of the boy when the refugee woman handed him over. He took care of the boy and tried to be a good father figure for him. But the fact that he was in war and experienced all sorts of bad things, which is normally lead together with war, has had a huge impact on him. He does not want to hear about war, see war or be anywhere near it if possible, the following quotation shows this: “As at every sunset, over the ruins from a distant street came the sound of marching. “Don’t listen” said the old man.” He is old and used, and all he wants is
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