Plan:

1. The Ratcatcher embodies all Eva’s fear.

2. The Ratcatcher continues to haunt Evelyn’s psyche.
3. Similar to other male characters used by Samuels, the Ratcatcher is a
symbol of power and danger to Eva/Evelyn.
Essay:
In the family drama Kindertransport written by Diane Samuels, the Ratcatcher (der
Rattenfanger) is undeniably one of the most important characters. He is used by
Samuels to symbolise fear. The Ratcatcher has also left permanent damage to
Evelyn’s psyche similar to all other male characters.

Firstly, the Ratcatcher embodies all Eva’s fears. The Ratcatcher is not portrayed as a
pleasant character. This is primarily shown through his appearance: a frightening
human form who has ‘strong arms’ and ‘spiky nails’. He usually appears in high stress
moments for Eva, such as when she is at the railway station preparing to leave.
Interestingly, the play sometimes moves back to the time when Helga continues to
read the Rattenfanger story book. This is symbolic because Eva is going to leave her
hometown forever without returning, which parallels the ending in the story book - in
which the children are lured away by the Ratcatcher into the ‘abyss’. The abyss has a
metaphorical meaning of an endless trouble that one could not possibly escape. This is
what Eva has ‘fallen’ into the moment she steps onto the train. The terrifying image of
Ratcatcher will continue to affect her life. The effect is highlighted when Eva leaps
out of the train when Lil decides to evacuate her out of the city. Her fear is shown
when she asks ‘Has the Ratcather gone?’ Leaving on a train brings back her traumatic
experience of separating from her parents and reminds her again of the Ratcatcher
who takes children away into the unknown. Here, the train is a representation of him
and separation.

Secondly, the Ratcatcher continues to haunt Evelyn’s psyche even when she has
grown up. Samuels uses a theatrical device called 'evocation', which takes memories
from the past to be brought back alive in the present, allowing multiple different time
periods to be displayed. This suits the purpose of the playwright, which is to explore
"the inner life where memory is shaped by trauma', meaning that Evelyn's inner life
and tragic past is once again presented simultaneously. The narration allows us to
notice that Evelyn is addicted to cleaning and ‘polishing like a maniac’ from the
dialogue with Faith. This is perhaps her method to cope with the hardships she had
endured over the years. Moreover, the Ratcatcher will only punish children who are
ungrateful. Evelyn fears that if she is not living a perfect life, he will eventually find
her and send her back to Germany. Furthermore, the ‘shadow of the Ratcatcher covers
the stage’ at the end of the play. This reinforces the idea that the Ratcatcher could not
possibly be forgotten by