Refugee Character Analysis

Josef Landau

One of the three protagonists of the book, alongside Isabel and Mahmoud. Josef is 12 years old at the beginning of the book, living in Nazi Germany in 1938, where Jewish people like Josef… read analysis of Josef Landau

Isabel Fernandez

One of the three protagonists of the book, alongside Josef and Mahmoud. Isabel is 11 years old in 1994, growing up in Havana, Cuba, under Fidel Castro’s regime. Isabel is deeply tied to her… read analysis of Isabel Fernandez

Mahmoud Bishara

One of the three protagonists of the book, alongside Josef and Isabel. Mahmoud is 13 years old in 2015, and lives in Aleppo, Syria with his father Youssef, his mother Fatima, his… read analysis of Mahmoud Bishara

Ruthie Landau/Rosenberg

Josef’s younger sister, who is six years old when they board the St. Louis to escape Nazi Germany. Throughout Ruthie’s experiences on the St. Louis, she is able to retain her innocence largely… read analysis of Ruthie Landau/Rosenberg

Lito/Mariano Padron

Isabel’s grandfather and Teresa’s father. (“Lito” is short for abuelito, meaning “grandfather.”) Lito is skeptical of leaving Cuba, but Isabel convinces him to join the rest of the family on the boat… read analysis of Lito/Mariano Padron

Aaron Landau

Josef and Ruthie’s father, and Rachel’s husband. At the beginning of the book, Aaron is taken away to the Dachau concentration camp on Kristallnacht. Aaron is released six months later on the… read analysis of Aaron Landau

Geraldo Fernandez

Isabel’s father and Teresa’s husband. Prior to the beginning of the novel, Geraldo tried several times to escape Cuba and take a boat to Miami. But when he was caught, he was jailed… read analysis of Geraldo Fernandez

Rachel Landau

Josef and Ruthie’s mother, and Aaron’s wife. After Aaron is taken away to the Dachau concentration camp following Kristallnacht, Rachel becomes the primary caretaker in the family. But when they meet up… read analysis of Rachel Landau

Teresa Fernandez

Isabel’s mother, Geraldo’s wife, and Lito’s daughter. At the beginning of the story, Teresa is eight and a half months pregnant with Isabel’s little brother. Still, she is adamant about joining her… read analysis of Teresa Fernandez

Iván Castillo

Isabel’s best friend. Iván is the son of Señor Castillo and Señora Castillo, and is Luis’s younger brother. Iván and his father are the ones who build the boat to go to… read analysis of Iván Castillo

Fatima Bishara

Mahmoud, Waleed, and Hana’s mother. Fatima, like her husband Youssef, tries to keep her children’s spirits up and care for Hana as they take their long journey from Syria to Germany… read analysis of Fatima Bishara

Youssef Bishara

Mahmoud, Waleed, and Hana’s father, and Fatima’s husband. Youssef is characterized as a caring father and husband, trying to shepherd his family to safety in Germany. He is constantly making jokes… read analysis of Youssef Bishara

Hana Bishara

Mahmoud’s infant sister. When Mahmoud and his family are thrown into the Mediterranean sea on their way to Greece by a storm, Mahmoud makes a quick decision and offers Hana to another passing boat… read analysis of Hana Bishara

Captain Schroeder

The captain of the St. Louis. In contrast with Otto Schiendick, Captain Schroeder recognizes the humanity of the Jewish passengers on board his ship and understands his responsibility to shepherd them to safety… read analysis of Captain Schroeder

Otto Schiendick

The Nazi Party official on board the St. Louis. In contrast to Captain Schroeder, Schiendick views the Jewish passengers as subhuman, even calling the Jewish children “rats” when they take a tour of… read analysis of Otto Schiendick

Samih Nasseer

A Palestinian taxi driver who gives Mahmoud and his family help in Turkey by offering to let them spend the night in his car dealership office while they wait for a boat to Greece. Nasseer… read analysis of Samih Nasseer

Fidel Castro

The president and prime minister of Cuba during the period of Isabel’s story. Castro institutes a policy during his tenure that anyone who attempts to leave Cuba and is caught will be thrown into… read analysis of Fidel Castro

Waleed Bishara

Mahmoud’s 10-year-old brother. Mahmoud observes that Waleed is largely unfazed by most of the events of their journey, which worries him. Like Mahmoud, Waleed has grown up in traumatic war conditions and as a… read analysis of Waleed Bishara

Guillermo

Isabel’s great-uncle and Lito’s brother. Guillermo had left Cuba in the 1970s and resettled in the United States. When Isabel arrives in Miami, Guillermo underscores the idea that family will enable Isabel to… read analysis of Guillermo

Lita

Isabel’s grandmother. (“Lita” is short for abuelita, meaning “grandmother.”) Lita dies two years prior to the beginning of Isabel’s story. Isabel had been staying with her and Lito when an enormous cyclone hit… read analysis of Lita

Señor Castillo

One of the other refugees on the boat with Isabel and her family. Señora Castillo is Iván and Luis’s father, and Señora Castillo’s husband. When the Fernandezes and Castillos face a storm on… read analysis of Señor Castillo

Renata Aber

Evelyne Aber’s older sister. Evelyne and Renata are the real names of two sisters who traveled aboard the St. Louis, and were the only two allowed to disembark in Cuba because their father… read analysis of Renata Aber

Evelyne Aber

Renata Aber’s younger sister. Evelyne and Renata are the real names of two sisters who traveled aboard the St. Louis, and were the only two allowed to disembark in Cuba because their father… read analysis of Evelyne Aber

Minor Characters

Herr Meier

Josef’s teacher in Germany. Herr Meier dehumanizes Josef by calling him up in front of the class and comparing his face to diagrams of other Jewish people, teaching the students how to identify Jews. Josef is humiliated by this exercise, feeling like a “subhuman” animal.

Bashar al-Assad

The leader of Syria during the period of Mahmoud’s story, who made people who criticized his government “disappear.” In response to this oppression, riots started in Damascus before spreading throughout the country and blossoming into the Syrian Civil War.

Pozner

One of the passengers on the St. Louis. After the St. Louis is turned away from both Cuba and the United States, Pozner enlists Josef and a few other passengers’ help in order to try to take the ship hostage and run it aground on the U.S. coast.

Señora Castillo

One of the other refugees on the boat with Isabel and her family. Señora Castillo is Iván and Luis’s mother, and Señor Castillo’s wife.

Luis Castillo

Iván’s older brother. He and his girlfriend, Amara, desert the police force in Cuba and join Isabel on the boat to Miami.

Amara

Luis’s girlfriend. Amara joins Isabel and the other refugees on the boat to Miami after she and Luis desert the police force in Cuba.

Saul Rosenberg

Ruthie’s husband; a fellow Holocaust survivor. Saul and Ruthie serve as Mahmoud, Youssef, Fatima, and Waleed’s host family in Germany.

Refugee

Alan Gratz

Refugee Characters