Attila

Attila is a Hungarian Nazi fugitive whom Manuel Arroyo identifies among his Spanish-language students. The account of his wartime crime—ordering his men to push bound Jews into the Danube—makes the classroom roll call a confrontation with the violence hidden behind the students’ ordinary presence.

Identity and Background

Attila is described as Hungarian. He appears in Manuel’s class, where the students’ identities and histories are being reviewed aloud. The narrative offers no further personal background or account of his life beyond the crime attached to his name.

Wartime Crime

During the war, Attila ordered his men to use their rifle butts to push bound Jews into the Danube, drowning them. The detail that the victims were restrained and that armed men acted under his command identifies him not simply as a participant in wartime violence but as an officer exercising authority over both his subordinates and their victims.

Exposure in the Classroom

As Manuel listens to a companion speak, he mentally goes through the students one by one. Attila’s history is presented alongside the crimes and wartime positions of other men in the class, turning the roll call into an account of concealed identities. His crime is thus disclosed to the reader through Manuel’s recollection and identification, rather than through a direct confession by Attila.

Narrative Significance

Attila’s brief appearance establishes the moral weight of the group Manuel has identified: the students are not merely displaced former soldiers but include men implicated in atrocities. The contrast between the classroom setting and the Danube killings sharpens the scene’s central reversal. A man sitting among language students can be recognized as the commander who sent bound civilians to their deaths; his quiet presence does not erase the violence attached to his name.