The Painted Bird

The unnamed boy is six years old at the start of the novel. His cultural ethnicity is never revealed, though he is assumed to be a Jew or a Gypsy, or a “Gypsy Jew,” by the peasants in the villages. Dark-haired, dark-eyed, and dark-complexioned, he is taught by the peasants that evil forces reside inside him. The peasants believe he will bring bad fortune to their villages, and his presence is said to attract lightning or invite punishment from the Germans, who forbid the harboring of Jews or Gypsies. Wandering from village to village, the boy internalizes the beliefs he encounters. His own beliefs change as he is exposed to different ideas; he moves from superstition to Catholicism to “evil,” finally finding solace in the teachings of the Communist Party. The boy often points out, sometimes unwittingly, the absurdity and arbitrary nature of discrimination, and as he witnesses more and more cruelty, he tries to unravel how such evil is possible and what he can do to prevent people from abusing him. Why are some people more powerful than others? Are only dark-haired people condemned by God? The answers change along with his experiences. By the end of the novel, the boy seems to have decided that an individual can rely only on himself.