I Am David Character Analysis

David

David, a thin, intelligent boy with dark gray eyes, has lived as a prisoner in a concentration camp for as long as he can remember. For much of David’s childhood, a prisoner named Johannes… read analysis of David

Johannes

Johannes, a Frenchman imprisoned in a concentration camp, is young David’s caretaker and confidante. He teaches David to hate greed, act polite, and stay true to himself in the face of evil. Unfortunately, when David… read analysis of Johannes

The Man

The man is a concentration-camp guard with small, pale eyes and an ugly face. David is convinced that the man hates him. Yet when the man is about to be transferred away from the camp… read analysis of The Man

King

King, a brave and loyal sheepdog, originally lives with the farmer who essentially kidnaps David and forces him into unpaid labor while David is trying to reach Denmark. During David’s captivity on the farm, King… read analysis of King

Carlo

Carlo, a bossy and impulsive Italian boy with black hair, knocks David down and hits him after David accidentally wanders onto his family’s property. Carlo expects David to fight back. When David, who hates all… read analysis of Carlo

Maria

Maria is a young, pretty girl with “black curly hair” whom David saves from a fire while hitchhiking through Italy. Afterward, Maria’s grateful father and mother insist that David stay with their family for a… read analysis of Maria

The Father

The father, whose children include Carlo, Maria, and Andrea, is a rich and educated Italian man named Giovanni di Levana del ‘Varchi. After David saves Maria from a fire, the father insists… read analysis of The Father

The Mother

The mother, whose children include Carlo, Maria, and Andrea, is a well-to-do and “very beautiful” woman named Elsa. After David saves Maria from a fire, the mother is overwhelmed with gratitude and… read analysis of The Mother

The Painter/Sophie Hartmann

Sophie Hartmann is a blond, gray-eyed Danish woman, thin and ambiguously middle-aged, with an “intelligent” though “not pretty” face. An artist, Sophie asks David to let her paint him after they meet by chance in… read analysis of The Painter/Sophie Hartmann

Edith Hjort Fengel

Edith Hjort Fengel is David’s long-lost mother. While Edith was living “abroad” in a politically repressive country with her husband and baby David, the entire family was arrested because her husband committed some political… read analysis of Edith Hjort Fengel

The Farmer

The farmer, an “evil-hearted man,” finds a half-frozen David trying to travel on foot over snowy mountains and essentially enslaves him. He coerces David into unpaid labor by threatening to turn him over to the… read analysis of The Farmer

The Sailor

The sailor, an Italian man with “very black hair,” stumbles upon David after David sneaks aboard a ship sailing from Salonika to Italy. Though the sailor considers reporting David to the captain, David’s eyes remind… read analysis of The Sailor

Minor Characters

Andrea

Andrea, brother to Carlo and Maria, is a “friendly and fair” boy with a natural aesthetic sense. When David is staying with Andrea’s family, David appreciates Andrea’s good qualities but avoids befriending Andrea for fear of accidentally telling Andrea too much about his background.

I Am David Characters