Number the Stars

“‘Why are you running?’ the harsh voice asked. His Danish was very poor. Three years, Annemarie thought with contempt. Three years they’ve been in our country, and still they can’t speak our language.” 

This early encounter Annemarie, Ellen, and Kirsti have with the German soldiers illustrates the dangers they face from the Nazis occupying Denmark. Furthermore, it establishes the historical context, showing how the Germans have been in Denmark for three years without integrating with the local population. Finally, it foreshadows the danger that the Rosens and other Jews face from the Nazi occupiers, hinting at the greater dangers to come later in the novel.

“For Kirsti, the soldiers were simply part of the landscape, something that had always been there, on every corner, as unimportant as lampposts, throughout her remembered life.” 

These lines emphasize how quickly a shocking reality can become the norm, as well as the benefits of ignorance and innocence. For five-year-old Kirsti, the German occupation is a fact of her life. This makes her able to speak out to the soldiers with more sass, as she does not fully comprehend the dangers they present. Later, Annemarie will attempt to mimic her younger sister as she faces the Nazis in the woods.

“There had been no real coffee in Copenhagen since the beginning of the Nazi occupation. Not even any real tea.” 

Food serves as a symbol for the everyday privations the Danes experienced during the war. They have to make do with what is available, not what they would like. This is a small example of the way in which their lives have changed, something that is highlighted in a broader, much more serious sense in the Nazi persecution of the Danish Jews.