 Except for the ending , the plots of Liliom and Carousel are very similar . Andreas Zavocky ( nicknamed Liliom , the Hungarian word for " lily " , a slang term for " tough guy " ) , a carnival barker , falls in love with Julie Zeller , a servant girl , and they begin living together . With both discharged from their jobs , Liliom is discontented and contemplates leaving Julie , but decides not to do so on learning that she is pregnant . A subplot involves Julie 's friend Marie , who has fallen in love with Wolf Biefeld , a hotel porter — after the two marry , he becomes the owner of the hotel . Desperate to make money so that he , Julie and their child can escape to America and a better life , Liliom conspires with lowlife Ficsur to commit a robbery , but it goes badly , and Liliom stabs himself . He dies , and his spirit is taken to heaven 's police court . As Ficsur suggested while the two waited to commit the crime , would @-@ be robbers like them do not come before God Himself . Liliom is told by the magistrate that he may go back to Earth for one day to attempt to redeem the wrongs he has done to his family , but must first spend sixteen years in a fiery purgatory . 
