The Wall Jumper can be viewed as a narrative essay that addresses personal and political identities in the lives of the German youth. The narrator aims to capture the frustration and confusion that the Berlin Wall brought about. This division of Germany is the central conflict that affects each character as they search for a sense of community.

The anecdotal aspect of the story represents a unique perspective that has long been ignored as a result of the Wall being established. Although there have been discussions and debates in the political arena, the neglect of the everyday realities of the divided citizens directly shows the psychological scars that the separation of Germany has caused.

The narrator himself questions his motives for collecting the stories. Yet it is through these stories that the title of the story becomes relevant. All of the central characters are "wall jumpers" in that they are not content with the division and are willing to overcome it. Gerard Schalter travels to East Berlin to call a female friend from Africa and eventually decides to move to East Berlin. Mr. Kabe literally jumps the wall fifteen times from West to East and is declared crazy by the authorities as he is put under psychiatric observation. The three East Berlin teenagers take advantage of a weakness in the Wall's security to watch American Westerns. Walter Bolle becomes a double and triple agent with the sole purpose of destroying the Wall. Michael Gartenschläger attempts to disarm the self-triggering robot weapons and is gunned down by automatic rifle fire from East German border guards. Each scenario reveals the narrator's desire to transcend the boundary that is set by the Wall.