The Liminal Aspects of the Characters It is necessary to note that major characters of the book can be regarded as liminal figures. At that, they refer to different types of liminality as described by Turner. Obviously, the narrator and his mother pertain to the third type, “marginal,” as they are on the edge of different worlds (Turner 128). His father is a representative of the second type of liminality, “outsiderhood,” and he tries to live in his world of the Irish language and traditions (Turner 134). The Narrator The narrator is the central liminal figure who has to handle various issues associated with language and identity. The boy has an Irish father and a German mother, which makes him exposed to two cultures through his parents’ values, views, and even characters. This twofold identity is revealed on the first pages, and it is persistent throughout the entire story. The narrator recollects, “When I was small I woke up in Germany… Then I got up and looked out the window and saw Ireland” (Hamilton 1). The boy cannot develop a system, which could enable him to balance between the two worlds. He is the marginal who does not pertain to either world. Importantly, his father intensifies the clash between cultures or rather tries to create a complete Irish home. He insists on boys’ spending time with Irish boys who speaks Irish only. However, in the modern Ireland, it is not easy to find such boys. Apart from the balance between the Irish and German cultures, the narrator has to find the balance between the Irish and English cultures. The world outside his house is English-dominated, but his home is the outpost of the Irish world. The situation is aggravated due to peer pressure. Being a half-German, the narrator has to face other boys’ insults who call him Nazi and stress that he is “guilty” (Hamilton 3). In other words, the narrator cannot feel at home anywhere in the world, and he cannot find the group to pertain to as he is the stranger in every setting. The entire book is his attempt to solve this issue and find his place. At the beginning of the story, he tries to fit in the group of the majority as “in Ireland you want to be the same as everyone else” (Hamilton 3). The boy also tries to find the balance between cultures, but the mixed heritage is a significant burden for the narrator (Éigeartaigh 115). However, at the end of the book, the speaker, finally, understands that he cannot and does not have to pertain to any group as he admits, “I don’t have to be like anyone else” (Hamilton 295). This understanding enables him to feel liberated. The Mother The narrator’s mother is another liminal figure who cannot fit in any group. She is German, who has a tragic past. She went through many hardships in the Nazi Germany, and, for her, Ireland seems to be “the luckiest place in the world” (Hamilton 3). Nonetheless, she cannot make the new country her true home. She is still homesick, and everyone can see it in her eyes (Hamilton 198). Notably, the loss of the home is not depicted as a “traumatic” experience in the book (Fischer 206). The woman loves the new country even though she does not feel at home. She tries to find her inner strength in humor and family bonds. He tries to regain her identity. When she obtains an opportunity, she visits the place she regards as her real home, Germany. However, she understands that it is not the same place she left many years before. This discovery transforms into a completely liminal