Eva is the novel’s main female character, a Jewish woman living in Italy during the rise of Fascism and the Nazi occupation. A gifted violinist, she begins the story with a sense of possibility and promise, as she finishes high school intent on becoming a performer. As antisemitic laws tighten and persecution escalates, Eva’s identity as a Jewish woman makes her a target of hatred and oppression. As Fascist Italy aligns with Nazi Germany, Eva is forced to confront loss after loss as her family is stolen from her, her home is no longer safe, and her very existence is criminalized. Through this suffering, Eva develops a defiant courage as she refuses to remain hidden and instead joins the resistance, putting herself at significant risk to fight for her people.

Living in Italy becomes unsafe, and Eva fights for survival under the constant threat of betrayal, arrest, and death. Yet she refuses to remain passive: She works with the resistance, takes a job as a secretary for a German Captain, and insists on fighting for her people even when her own life is in peril. Eva resists the urge to surrender and repeatedly demonstrates courage, resilience, and moral clarity in the face of loss and grief. She inspires Angelo as he says, “She makes me serve him better. In fact, she is the very reason I serve” (177). Her relationship with Angelo complicates her path, blurring the lines between love and survival, faith, and desire. Eva embodies both the vulnerability of the persecuted and the strength of those who resist. She becomes a figure of endurance and hope, carrying her people’s suffering bravely even as she fights to survive herself.

Eva’s relationship with Angelo complicates her situation. Angelo provides refuge and comfort, but his vows stand as a wall between them. Their love story forces Eva to wrestle with her identity as a Jewish woman under persecution, while also weighing her respect for Angelo’s commitment to the church against their undeniable connection. Angelo is Eva’s safe place, the one constant she can cling to as her world collapses under the weight of persecution. With him, she feels sheltered and human as he calls her back to her music, her childhood, and the parts of herself untouched by violence. Yet paradoxically, Eva is unsafe for him on many levels. To love her places Angelo in direct conflict with his vows. More dangerously, her Jewish identity puts them both at risk; by standing at her side, Angelo exposes himself to the same persecution she endures. Their relationship is therefore both sanctuary and peril, offering comfort even as it sharpens the dangers surrounding them. By the novel’s end, Eva emerges as both survivor and mother. Her child with Angelo is a living symbol of renewal, a rebuke to the Nazi attempt to erase her.

Camillo is Eva’s father and the owner of a glass factory, representing both the security and vulnerability of the pre-war Jewish Italian community. As a successful businessman, he provides his family with stability and culture, grounding Eva in the traditions and comforts of home. She calls him her “very patient father” (7). After Eva’s mother dies, he raises her alone while managing his business. However, the rise of Fascism and the Nazi occupation forces him to close his factory. Faced with the increasing danger to Jewish people in Italy, Camillo makes the difficult decision to leave the country for Austria, seeking to help their extended family. Tragically, he is arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where he ultimately dies. His fate underscores the brutal reality of The Endurance of Identity in the Face of Persecution, illustrating that even those with wealth and influence were not immune to the machinery of Nazi terror.

Camillo’s absence leaves Eva alone, forcing her to survive in wartime without parental protection. Camillo’s presence remains a guiding force in Eva’s life, even if he isn’t physically present. When despair threatens to overwhelm her, she draws strength from memories of him and the moral grounding he instilled. This connection becomes almost supernatural when he appears to her in a dream while she is on the train bound for Bergen-Belsen. In this vision, Camillo’s voice and presence inspire Eva to act decisively, giving her the courage to jump from the train, which saves her life. Camillo’s character reinforces the novel’s exploration of loss, the fragility of life under oppression, and Love as a Source of Strength in families torn apart by war and persecution.