Question

Give a character sketch of little Franz

Answer 1

The story portrays a lively depiction of Franz. He loved to spend his day out of doors rather in the classroom because of the brightness of the sunshine, the chirping of the birds and the liveliness of nature fascinated him. He was not much interested in studies. However, he got saddened when he came to know of the order from Berlin that French would no more be taught in school. Suddenly, he realized what he was going to lose. To lose one's language is nothing less than losing oneself. He knew he had not yet learned even the participles clearly. His power of self-analysis led him to conclude that the lessons of French were never difficult. It was he who never paid attention. Now, when he understood the language, the authorities restrained this learning. He got disturbed to see the exploitation of one human race by another. This made him ask "Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons?”. Franz turns out to be a character that grows mature in the course of the story. From a negligent schoolboy, he finally becomes a self-analyzing citizen.