Summer Of My German Soldier Character Analysis

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In the story Summer of My German Soldier, written by Bette Greene, is based in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, after the attacks of Pearl Harbor. The town is located near a German P.O.W. camp, henceforth the title of the story. The main character, narrator, is twelve year-old Patty Bergen. In this story, Patty was working at her parents’ store and she met Anton Reiker, a German P.O.W, where Patty and Anton first “become friends”. Anton then escapes the P.O.W. camp and Patty sees him and helps him to safety in her “secret-hideout”. Patty eventually helps Anton escape from Jenkinsville, where Anton eventually was caught and had a shirt that said Harry Bergen, which eventually led to the F.B.I. coming to Jenkinsville and them questioning Patty, causing …show more content…

Such as abuse of power, power of mind versus authority, and courage. Abuse of power is evident in Mr. Bergen, this is true because he would always threaten Patty that he would beat her if she lied, or he thought that she lied, about anything. Also he would verbally abuse anyone in his family to try to get his way, but most of the time it would not work. The theme of power of mind versus authority is in the story because of Patty. This is a theme because Patty hid Anton in her “secret hideout” even though she knew that if she gets caught she can get in trouble and tried for treason. Lastly, courage, Ruth showed courage in many different ways. One way is when Ruth stood up to Mr. Bergen when he was questioning Patty about hiding Anton and Ruth said to Mr. Bergen that “All I heard she do is let a tired man sleep where nobody else wanted to sleep and gave him food that came from nobody’s mouth,” meaning that Patty let Anton sleep where nobody was sleeping and gave Anton food that were leftovers and nobody wanted to eat, also later in that same chapter Ruth also stood up to Mr. Bergen and said “Lord knows I needs this job, Mr. Bergen. Lord knows I needs the money, but-- this child needs me even more than I needs the work. Truth is she does,” Ruth is saying to Mr. Bergen that she does need the job working for the Bergen’s, but that Patty needed her more now than

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