Mulisch is thoroughly able to paint exactly what is going on in Anton's mind in The Assault when he is being taken back to Haarlem by a soldier who is a complete stranger to him. In the midst of the startling events that had just occurred in Anton's mostly monotonous life, Anton still seems to observe the most insignificant of his surroundings. To start off, he talks about how "The night was still crystal clear." (Mulisch 41). His first observation juxtaposes what his life is like at the current moment. So far, his house has been burned down, his brother is lost and most probably dead, and he has no idea where his parents are...yet the sky is crystal clear. The fact that he makes this observation despite the emotions that must be going on inside of him is completely flabbergasting. Anton also points out that he is riding a motorcycle for the first time in his life. Out of all of the things one would expect a young boy, who has just lost his parents, to be thinking of everything but the superficial wealth of the German soldiers and the means by which he is being transported from place to place. Along with that, Anton makes the observation of the convertible Mercedes that belongs to the officer.
It is evident from this passage that Anton is clearly a superficial person. Despite his world being flipped upside down, he is still concerned with the most unimportant objects around him. Yes, Anton is a small boy, but no matter what age, when a person's family is ripped away from them, life does not look at the expensive car or the mechanical motorcycle.
Much of the first paragraph is well-written plot summary. Go through (line by line) and ask yourself which sentence are analytical.
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