Jane Yolen's use of structure in the novel Briar Rose is very clever. His use of allegory and parallel narrative technique is very effective in conveying his story, which he tells superbly. Story elements are revealed at specific times to tie into the theme of both personal and historical growth and development. The use of allegory drives the story. It is a constant reminder of the Holocaust to ensure that the reader is not too captivated by the fairytale element of the novel. The use of allegory grounds the novel and gives it a sense of realism. While the story Yolen tells is fictional, the setting in which they exist is not. By using real elements in the construction and development of the characters, they are made credible. The characters in this story are not perfect and have many flaws and imperfections, an example of this is the fact that the character Josef is homosexual. He is very different from the stereotype of the perfect prince in every sense. Through Josef's homosexuality an important fact about the Holocaust that is rarely touched upon is demonstrated, the common misconception that only Jews were targeted when in reality many other minorities were targeted. , such as homosexuals, gypsies and disabled people (mental and physical). The courage and strength expressed in the parallel stories help develop different characters and themes at the same time. These tales bring with them the struggle of the human spirit to overcome adversity but at the same time humble the characters and paint them not as heroes but as ordinary people, surviving almost certain death, people simply trying to live. Yolen makes the characters so real that she manages to never let the story turn into pure fantasy. The story of Sleeping Beauty told in Briar Rose is initially an innocent story told by a grandmother to her grandchildren. We soon realize that this is not the case and it is, in reality, the life events of the character Gemma compressed into a single story. Gemma did this because the true story, in all its glory, was too brutal to tell anyone, especially her family. Yolen uses allegory predominantly in Gemma's interpretation of Sleeping Beauty. This quote from Gemma's Sleeping Beauty "without further warning, a fog covered the entire kingdom" is an obvious reference to the toxic gas used to massacre millions of innocent people during Nazi Germany's ethnic cleansing regime.