The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Main Characters and Their Development

• Tamina - A young woman who emigrated from Czechoslovakia after the Soviet invasion. She tries to retrieve her letters and diaries left in Prague to preserve the memory of her deceased husband. Tamina symbolizes the struggle against forgetting and the desire to hold onto the past.
• Mireille - A French student who assists Tamina in her quest. She represents the younger generation that does not understand or value the past as Tamina does.
• Gabriel - A friend of Tamina who also emigrated from Czechoslovakia. He helps her in her search but also symbolizes the impossibility of fully returning to the past.
• Jaromil - A Czech poet who becomes a victim of political repression. His fate illustrates how the political system can destroy personal life and creativity.
• Clementis - A Czech politician who was erased from official history after falling out of favor. His story illustrates the theme of forgetting and manipulation of history.