Hanson Family | Hanzlicek Family | Port Royal School Faculty | Other Characters
Members of the Hanzlicek Family.
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The Hanzlicek Family (in general)
- Nuclear Family: The Hanzlicek's are essentially the epitome of a harmonious nuclear family, getting along together and tied by a strong religious bond.
Immediate Family and Household
Janie Hanzlicek
Teenage, Age 11 - 18
Young, Age 6 - 8
Through a clerical error, Janie becomes the roommate of Ryan at the Port Royal Boarding School in rural Pennsylvania. Brought up in a Jewish household, Janie has very strong ties to her religion, considering it more than a simple belief in god. Though tomboyish, athletic and sporting social graces, she finds a kindred spirit in the meek but mentally unstable Ryan, and soon finds herself searching for the reasons behind his dismay.
- Academic Athlete: Janie is a girl in love with sports, but at the same time has a vast knowledge of various topics including history and plate tectonics.
- Accidental Pervert: Janie has a moment of this when Ryan wets himself, and while he's changing out of his pajamas, she unintentionally turns to face him while he's naked. While it's apparent that she's somewhat caught by the sight of her male friend undressed, she quickly snaps herself out of it and turns away for the rest of the scene, but is clearly shaken by the experience.
- All-Loving Heroine: Janie tries to include everyone she meets into her fun and games, regardless of who they are.
- All Jews Are Ashkenazi: Janie's surname, Hanzlicek, hints at an East European background.
- Confirmed in Part 3, as Janie's heritage is shown to be from Czechoslovakia.
- Beauty, Brains, and Brawn: Janie is strong-willed, a keen sports girl, and fairly good looking.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: She's a good looking girl, but has an open-minded and caring personality.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: One of the main reasons why Janie treats Ryan with such kindness and respect, despite the fact that he's non-Jewish, is because he always treated her kindly as roommates, and showed genuine concern as to her well-being.
- Best Friend: Janie very quickly becomes Ryan's best friend after the two get to know each other as roommates.
- From Part 6, she also strikes a strong cord with her new roommate Fiona, with whom she has a healthy but friendly rivalry.
- Be Yourself: Janie is a girl who is happy being herself, a mindset she extends largely to Ryan to help him come out of his shell.
- Big Sister Instinct: Janie likes to treat Natasha as the baby of the family, but at the same time respects that she can be smart and agile for her age.
- Bilingual Bonus: Janie often speaks Yiddish when reciting prayers, though her native tongue is American English.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Played with in Part 6. Janie is captain of the girl's baseball team and an athletic whiz, yet opts of have a bottom bunk because she can't be bothered to climb the ladder so close to bedtime.
- Boyish Short Hair: After being ambushed by Richard, who sticks gum in her hair, Janie is forced to undergo a haircut to get the gum out, leaving her with a very short pixie cut.
- The Confidant: She becomes this to Ryan, who explains his dire situation at home with the abuse he suffers under his father, to which she tries to find a way out for him.
- Commonality Connection: She connects with Ryan over his love of tradition, but also a shared interest by each other in their respective religions.
- Cool Big Sis: Janie to Natasha.
- The Cutie: An insatiably bubbly personality with a constant desire to help and care for those around her.
- Daddy's Girl: Based on their interactions, Janie is clearly the apple of her dad's eye.
- Dirty Kid: In one instance where she accidentally sees Ryan naked, including his privates, she can't help but stare, even though it's clearly causing Ryan distress. She quickly pulls herself together and looks away, visibly unnerved by the sight.
- The Fashionista: Downplayed. She's not overly interested in fashion, but she does seem to take pride in what she wears.
- A Friend in Need: When Ryan begins to show his mental instability and emotional turmoil, Janie tries to help bring him out of his shell and improve his sad situation.
- Genki Girl: Janie is nearly always upbeat and positive about everything.
- The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Played with. Natasha and Janie have an apparent running battle in which one tries to make the other jump by sneaking up on them.
- The Heart: She generally brings out the best in everyone she meets.
- Hidden Depths: Janie explains that aside from her love of sports, she also has a keen interest in geology, including volcanoes and plate tectonics, though she enjoys the subject mostly for watching mountains blow up.
- Jewish American Princess: The implication is that Janie is from a wealthy Jewish family who live in Connecticut, hence her stylish clothes and confident demeanor.
- The Lad-ette: Janie is shown to be equally as competitive and physically able as the boys.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: Janie has long black hair.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: Janie is shown to be both lovable and very popular among her peers.
- Meaningful Name: The name Janie is of Hebrew origin, and means 'Gift from God', a fitting moniker due to her Jewish heritage.
- Modest Royalty: Janie and her family are exceptionally rich, but rarely does Janie bring up her wealth, and her position in society doesn't make her above making friends with a working class boy like Ryan - she only ever brings up the topic of money and wealth when she wants to help Ryan feel better or introduce him to new and exciting things.
- Nice Girl: One of the reasons why Ryan takes a real shine to her.
- Not So Above It All: Janie may be very rich, but she still spares a thought for friends not as fortunate as herself, as is the case with the working class Ryan.
- One of the Boys: Despite being forced to stay with the boys in their dorm, Janie is very quick to muck in wherever possible.
- Outdoorsy Gal: Janie gets outside whenever she has the chance.
- Passionate Sports Girl: Janie is shown to be this during gym class, and also leads the girl's team in their baseball game against the boys.
- Plucky Girl: Despite being forced to live in a dorm with other boys, Janie is willing to adapt to her new situation and muck in with those around her, this includes using the same shower room.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Fueled by her anger and hatred in the wake of the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre, Janie says some fairly inflammatory things to Ryan about how "Someone should die" for the terrorist act. She is later very repentant for what she had said, and admits she sounded like a "Psycho".
- Popular Is Dumb: While Janie is shown to have a natural ability to socialize and make friends, she is by no means dumb.
- Proper Lady: Janie Hanzlicek.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: From her east European background, Janie has pale skin and very dark hair, almost black. She reveals in Part 7 her hair is actually very dark brown.
- Reused Character Design: Her design is based off of Alyx, a character who was initially going to appear in Outsiders as Siobhan's secretary. In turn, that design is based off of Suzanne, the protagonist in the original concept of Red 348.
- Spirited Young Lady: Janie Hanzlicek.
- Tomboy: Janie is shown to be more masculine than her sister when it comes to her hobbies and general pattern of behaviour.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Though she wears girly clothes, Janie's outgoing personality and competitiveness rivals most boys.
- Uptown Girl: While not so much uptown, as she lives in a different state, the general relationship between her and Ryan - rich girl, poor boy - is still the same.
- Wise Beyond Her Years: Janie, despite being a sporty girl, is illustrated to have an understanding and compassion for Ryan's terrible situation in life beyond what most kids her age would care.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: Though Janie's native tongue is American English, she speaks in Yiddish for her prayers.
Natasha Hanzlicek
Young, Age 6 - 11
Toddler, Age 3 - 6
Janie's younger sister, Natasha is an energetic, free-spirited soul who takes greatly after her older sibling. She's wild, fun and full of life, and also engages in a running battle with her sister to see who can sneak up on the other.
- Affectionate Nickname: She prefers to be addressed as 'Nattie' by those closest to her.
- Animal Lover: Natasha is illustrated to have an almost fanatical love of the humble Beagle, so much so that she's even willing to throw tantrums and chase after them whenever she gets a chance.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Played with. Natasha is seen to partake in a running battle with Janie to make her jump, and also tries to make Ryan jump first thing in the morning in bed.
- In Part 7, this is played with further as her excitement of meeting Mark makes her hyperactive and extremely mischievous, eventually culminating in her accidentally knocking him out of bed to which Janie has to rebuke her. After a quiet talking to by Ryan, though, she cheers up and calms herself down around Mark.
- The Baby of the Bunch: As the younger sister, she is often treated this way by her parents and sibling.
- She gets very scared of monsters in films and TV, therefore her older friends and relatives often have to reassure her that there's no such thing as monsters. Inverted somewhat with Ryan and Mark's rather graphic tales of extremely violent mob activity back home in their native Baltimore, to which Natasha seems more intrigued than anything else.
- Beware the Cute Ones: Natasha may be cute, but she likes to sneak up on people to make them jump.
- Comes to a head in Part 7, when, early in the morning, she sneaks into Ryan and Mark's bed and begins to tickle the latter's feet to wake them up, before jumping out from beneath the sheets to scare the two brothers, but in so doing accidentally knocking Mark out of bed.
- Cheerful Child: Natasha is characteristically cheery for her age.
- Children Are Innocent: Natasha has a playful outlook on life, and even gets scared at the film House on Haunted Hill that Janie and Ryan are watching.
- The Cutie: Natasha is seen as the lovable little sister, by both her family, Ryan, and Janie's many friends.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Between Janie and Natasha, Janie is demonstrated to be more worldly and grounded while Natasha still retains her childish naivety and innocence. However, Natasha does make sure to dial back her more rambunctious tendencies when Mark's around due to seeing how sensitive he can be.
- Genki Girl: Natasha is a bubble of energy and is always running around or screaming wildly with joy.
- The Glorious War of Sisterly Rivalry: Played with. Natasha and Janie have an apparent running battle in which one tries to make the other jump by sneaking up on them.
- Jewish American Princess: Much like Janie, Natasha is brought up in a wealthy Jewish home.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: Natasha has long brown hair.
- Naïve Animal Lover: Noted by Janie in Part 7, when, due to Natasha's love of Beagles often getting her into trouble or causing her to run away from her mother in order to chase them, she comments on the fact that if anyone ever wanted to kidnap her, it would be easy to find the perfect bait.
- No Sense of Personal Space: Demonstrated when Natasha tries to wake Ryan up by climbing on top of him and shouting 'Boo!'.
- Explored further in Part 7 as she sneaks into Ryan and Mark's bed to prank them early in the morning.
- Passionate Sports Girl: Based on the interactions between herself and Janie, the two share a passion for the outdoors.
- Reused Character Design: Like Janie, Natasha's character design can be traced to an original design from the comic Red 348, where she would have been the sister to main character Suzanne, who herself was the design basis of Janie.
- Satellite Character: Usually appears when Janie is around.
- Spirited Young Lady: Natasha Hanzlicek.
Mátyás Hanzlicek
Age 45
Age 19
Father to Janie and Natasha, and husband to Justine, Mátyás is a migrant from what was formerly Czechoslovakia, and holds a past shrouded in mystery. While some external signs give away his survival against the Nazis of Europe, he came to the USA to seek the American Dream, and has now reversed his once impoverished fortunes to create a home for himself and his family in rural Connecticut.
- The American Dream: Demonstrated with Mátyás, as he goes from being an impoverished migrant from war-torn Europe to a rich business owner in America.
- Bilingual Bonus: Mátyás speaks Yiddish when reciting prayers.
- Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting: Mátyás to Ryan.
- Dad the Veteran: The implication is that Mátyás had survived the death camps of Nazi Germany through his tattoo.
- Dark and Troubled Past: As evidenced by his death camp tattoo.
- Described by Janie in a retort to Scott:
Janie: Scott, my dad was enslaved at Auschwitz for three years, his sisters were gassed, and my grandparents were hanged in the town square, yet, you don't see me complaining. - Family Man: Mátyás Hanzlicek.
- Friend to All Children: Mátyás appears to have a care for all the young characters he interacts with during the story, even showing an interest in Ryan despite the religious barrier between them.
- Good Parents: Mátyás and Justine.
- Happily Married: Mátyás and Justine.
- The Holocaust: Mátyás carries a tattoo on his forearm, clearly showing he was once a prisoner at a Nazi Concentration Camp.
- Immigrant Parents: Mátyás was originally a migrant to America from eastern Europe.
- Rags to Riches: A fundamental part of his story, going from an impoverished immigrant and death camp survivor to the wealthy owner of a successful logging firm and patriarch to a loving family.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Mátyás and his older brother Ephriam look almost identical, except for the latter's beard and the former's glasses.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: Used by Mátyás to deliver the Sabbath prayer.
Justine Hanzlicek (née Silverman)
Age 43
Age 18
Mother to Janie and Natasha, and wife to Mátyás, Justine was born in the United States and was daughter to the former boss of her future spouse. Taking a liking to the young migrant from the Old World, the pair soon fell in love and were married, helping to create a home for themselves in rural Connecticut.
- Feminine Mother, Tomboyish Daughter: Justine to Janie.
- Good Parents: Mátyás and Justine.
- Happily Married: Mátyás and Justine.
- Jewish Mother: Inverted, even though she is Jewish and a mother.
The Hanzlicek Family (Israel)
Ephraim Hanzlicek
Patriach of the Israeli arm of the Hanzlicek family, Ephraim is a man who has seen much action during his life, starting out as a student of engineering in Prague, before becoming a battle-hardened resistance fighter during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in World War II, and in the process losing his right foot. Even after the war ended, though, the fight for Ephraim wasn't over, as although he was missing a foot, he continued to battle against the British, and later the Arabs, in order to secure the promised land for his family. Though highly prejudiced against gentiles, Ephraim is a wise and worldly man who maintains his Jewish faith strongly, and serves as a role model for Janie.
- Absolute Xenophobe: Is fully prepared to kill Arabs if necessary, and has trained his family to do so as well.
- Action Dad: Ephraim is a veteran of both World War II and the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, continuing to fight even after he had lost his foot.
- An Arm and a Leg: Due to a Nazi grenade, Ephraim lost his right foot during the war, and thus has a wooden stump in its place while supporting himself with a cane.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Ephraim dresses somewhat sharply, wearing a suit and jacket when meeting his extended family and Ryan.
- Badass Israeli: While technically of Czech descent, Ephraim is now a fully fledged Israeli, having fought for the creation of the free Jewish state.
- Bigotry Exception: Despite his experiences having stoked inside him a distrust or hatred of non-Jewish folk, he is willing to take a chance on Janie's Catholic friend, Ryan.
- Bilingual Bonus: Ephraim speaks Yiddish when reciting prayers.
- Cool Old Guy: Ephraim, despite is age, is still able to enthrall Janie and Ryan with his stories of war.
- Cultured Badass: Ephraim, despite his raunchy, military background, is a deeply religious soul, and one who enjoys the finer things in life now that there is ostensive peace in the holy land.
- Dad the Veteran: As Ephraim describes, he is a veteran of World War II and the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, during the former of which he lost his right foot to a Nazi grenade.
- Dark and Troubled Past: As evidenced by his lack of a right foot.
- Dehumanization: An impression you seem to get with Ephraim is that he has little to no care for gentiles, especially Arabs.
- Family Man: Ephraim raises his family in strong Jewish traditions, including the female members of his family wearing headress for the sake of modesty.
- Friend to All Children: While Ephraim holds strong views when it comes to gentiles, he is willing to take a chance on the Catholic Ryan, allowing him into his home.
- The Gunslinger: Ephraim carrys with him a sidearm in a holster, and has trained both his wife and children on how to use firearms in case relations between Israel and the Arab states deteriorate again.
- Handicapped Badass: Even though he lost his foot in World War II, Ephraim continued to fight during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, even having his army truck modified for his specific use in order to run guns for the Haganah.
- Happily Married: Ephraim and Shoshanna.
- Immigrant Parents: Technically, Ephraim is a migrant to Israel, as he was a native to Czechoslovakia, but came to the holy land in order to fight for its freedom and the creation of a free Jewish state.
- Noble Bigot: Fundamentally, Ephraim is a kind and caring man who wishes to raise his family in peace, but his past experiences fighting gentiles, including Nazis and Arabs, has created in him a distrust of those who aren't Jewish.
- Papa Wolf: Is devoted to protecting his family and relatives, and is even willing to use lethal force if push comes to shove.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Depending on your view, Ephraim is highly prejudiced against Arabs, having fought them during the Arab-Israeli War of 1948, and is fully prepared to fight and kill them again if they attempt to infringe on his land.
- Rags to Riches: While it's unknown how much wealth had before the war, it is implied that Ephraim, much like his younger brother, has bettered himself during peacetime, running a sizable farm and estate.
- Retired Badass: After his years fighting Nazis and Arabs, Ephraim has now retired to the quiet life of a farmer, but still maintains his defenses in case war ever starts up again.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Ephriam and his brother, Mátyás, look almost identical, apart from the former's beard and the latter's glasses.
- Tragic Bigot: As evidenced by the loss of his foot, Ephraim has many reasons why he doesn't trust gentiles.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: Used by Ephraim to bless their meal.
Shoshanna Hanzlicek
Ephraim's wife and matriarch of the Israeli arm of the Hanzlicek family, Shoshanna, much like her husband, is deeply religious, but maintains a happy household deep in the rural Judean countryside.
- Good Parents: Ephraim and Shoshanna.
- Happily Married: Ephraim and Shoshanna.
- Jewish Mother: Inverted, even though she is Jewish and a mother.
- Naturalized Name: In Part 5, it's revealed that Shoshanna's birth name was Heidi, but when her and her family had to escape Austria following the Nazi occupation of their country, they changed it to a different name in order to be allowed entry into the British Mandate of Palestine, during a period when the mass-immigration of Jews from Europe into the country wasn't allowed in order to keep the peace with the Arabs.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: Used by Shoshanna as a greeting for Ryan.
David Hanzlicek
Eldest child of the Hanzlicek's Israeli arm, David is the apple of his father's eye, a hard working farmer who follows in his parents footsteps regarding his religious vocation, while also having a healthy sibling rivalry with his younger sister, Tirzah.
- Big Brother Instinct: David shows a protective and caring attitude towards Ryan, despite the fact neither boy is related or shares the same religion.
- The Dutiful Son: Ephraim appears to show a great deal of admiration in his son, which he returns.
- Gentle Giant: David is much taller than all the other kid characters he interacts with, but is caring to them all.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: David has dark blonde hair and a good heart.
- Meaningful Name: David's name is of ancient Hebrew origin, and means "beloved", while also being of reference to the Biblical Hebrew figure of King David, who was of importance to Christian, Jewish, and Islamic religious tradition.
- Nice Guy: His defining character trait.
- One Head Taller: Compared to the other kid characters, David is much taller than those around him.
Tirzah Hanzlicek
Janie's cousin and youngest child of the Israeli arm of the Hanzlicek family, Tirzah, much like her American relative, is energetic and free-spirited, while also having something of a sibling rivalry with her older brother, David.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Played with. Tirzah and David have something of a sibling rivalry between them, but this doesn't extend to more than just simple name-calling.
- Cheerful Child: Tirzah is characteristically cheery for her age.
- Children Are Innocent: While Tirzah is a fun-loving girl, her father has stated that she, along with the rest of her family, have been trained to use firearms in the event of a war breaking out with the neighboring Arab states.
- Genki Girl: Much like her cousins, Tirzah is a bubble of energy.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: Tirzah has long blonde hair.
- Meaningful Name: Tirzah is an ancient Hebrew name meaning "she is my delight", and is mentioned in the Bible as one of the daughters of Zelophehad, but is also the name of a biblical city in the Samarian highlands.
- Passionate Sports Girl: She seems to follow the same traits as Janie, as she also enjoys playing soccer.
- Yiddish as a Second Language: Used by Tirzah as a jolly greeting for Janie and her family.
