Summer of My German Soldier
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Summer of My German Soldier is a novel by Bette Greene. It was first published in 1973, and later adapted into a TV movie starring Kristy McNichol and Bruce Davison in 1978.
The story is told in first person narrative by a twelve-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. A sequel entitled Morning Is a Long Time Coming was published in 1978. It takes place in 1950 when Patty is a young adult graduating from Jenkinsville High School. She travels across the globe to find love which she could never find in her hometown.
A new musical version of the novel with music and lyrics by David Brush and Jim Farley opened in Ohio in August 2003, staged by Encore Theater Company.
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[edit] Plot
The story focuses on Patty and an escaped German POW called Anton. Patty is unhappy about her life in the beginning of the story because of her ill-tempered father and her mother's taunting and verbal abuse. This leaves Patty believing she's a person of no importance and craving her parents' love. After German POWs visit her father's department store and she befriends one of them, Anton, who can speak English, Anton teaches her that she is a person of value. In return, she protects him by keeping him in the hidden rooms above her father's garage, without her family's knowledge. While they are together, Anton recounts his life before the war, including his family and hometown in Göttingen. Anton leaves Patty, and embarks on a journey back to his home in Germany. In the book version, a few days later he is shot in New York City while trying to run away from authorities. In the film version, Anton is shot outside of Jenkinsville. Two FBI agents come and force the truth out of Patty. Patty is sentenced to go to a girl's reformatory school for six months and during that time Ruth comes to visit her. Patty then realizes what she can do with her life and concludes in the end that she will later go overseas to see Anton's mother.
[edit] Main characters
Patricia Ann Bergen
- Patty is a troubled 12-year-old living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. She feels abused by her father and is insulted by her mother, but eventually begins to learns to love herself, independant of their opinion. Patty is very intelligent and intellectually curious, particularly about words - something that is shown to be in stark contrast to most of the other inhabitants of her town. She can also be naive and unworldly; when the German POWs disembark the train at the beginning of the story, Patty alone is inclined to return an ironically friendly wave from one of the soldiers (probably Anton). She is also unique in her response to the prisoners in that she does not take a reactionary dislike to them, and is immediately attracted to Anton for his intelligence and obvious decency. Her feelings for Anton are semi-romantic, despite the 10-year age gap. She may also see a positive paternity in him that she does not have in her own father. She is left grief-stricken by Anton's death, but also stronger by their friendship and by his good opinion of her. She is sent to a reformatory school for her actions, but has begun to develop her own moral compass and a sense of self.
Frederick Anton Reiker
- Anton comes from Germany, but is half English (his mother is from Manchester). His English-educated father is a professor of history who gets into trouble for making fun of Hitler in lectures. Anton has no sympathy either with the Nazi party or its ideology. He speaks perfect English and is intelligent and practical (in contrast to Patty's initial naivity) - he devises a plan to escape the POW camp and mask his scent to evade recapture by a K-9 unit. His friendship with Patty develops as she keeps him in hiding and he demonstrates his love and concern for her when he emerges from his hiding place to try to save her from a savage beating from her father. Shortly after leaving Patty, he is captured in New York City and is then shot for attempting to escape. He dies at a nearby hospital. In the film version, he apparently never makes it out of Arkansas, and is shot in the county, seemingly just outside Jenkinsville.
Ruth
- The Bergen family maid and cook. Ruth's past is briefly mentioned in a conversation with Anton, where we learn that her mother hoped for a better life for her daughter and saved money for her education, but that the money was stolen by the white man who was supposed to be banking it. Ruth is criticised by the white middle-class of Jenkinsville for being 'uppity' because she has a strong sense of dignity and justice, and will not cowtow to white people. Ruth is Patty's first real friend and in most ways more of a mother to her than Patty's real mother, Pearl. Ruth is distraught to learn that Patty has been sheltering Anton because of the risk of the situation (and possibly because, with a son fighting in Europe, her feelings towards the German soldier are conflicted), but understanding of Patty's motivations. She also recognises Anton's decency, and understands that he loves Patty when he rushes out of hiding to protect the girl. At the beginning of the story Ruth is inclined to implore Patty to be 'sweet' and 'good' so that Patty's parents might appreciate her. By the end she has revised this opinion and tells Patty that the good opinion of Mr. and Mrs. Bergen is not worth seeking, as they are not persons of very good quality. She also becomes more bold in her efforts to protect Patty as the story goes on, eventually sacrificing her job in an attempt to shield Patty from her father's wrath. Ruth visits Patty at reform school, alone of the family circle.
[edit] Minor characters
Harry Bergen
- Harry is Patty's abusive, tyrannical father who runs a local department store. Known for flirting with women, Harry had an impoverished childhood that resulted in saving every penny he had. Harry seems to loathe his elder daughter, but asks himself why he isn't loved. He tends to favor his younger daughter, Sharon.
Pearl Bergen
- Pearl is Patty's vain mother. She often negatively comments on Patty's looks and behavior, both directly to her daughter and to others in and out of her daughter's hearing. She shows no regard for Patty's interests or opinions in any matter, down to the way Patty wears her hair. She is portrayed as being selfish and self-absorbed in character, though extremely skilled in her role as a saleswoman. She, too, tends to favor her younger daughter, Sharon.
Sharon Bergen
- Patty's younger sister. She seems to be loved by everyone in Jenkinsville, including Patty. Patty is occasionally jealous of the adoration and encouragement her sister receives from their parents but is very fond of her sister. While her parents dote on the younger child, Patty's love manifests itself in wanting to help Sharon to 'grow up good.' Patty sees beyond Sharon's showing-off a good deal of unspoken wisdom.
Freddy Dowd
- Patty's only school friend. Patty's father doesn't approve of their friendship, possibly because he is poor, or because he is a Gentile. In one instance Harry Bergen beats Patty with his belt when he catches her with Freddy. Freddy is slow and naive, and does not understand Patty's reluctance to be friends with him, which she feels unable to explain truthfully to him.
Edna Louise
- Patty's rich friend. Along with most of the children Patty is friendly with, Edna goes to Baptist camp for most of the summer. Patty wants to be able to go to, but her father does not permit her to go because she is Jewish. It is revealed at one point that Edna's grandfather cheated Ruth's mother out of her lifesavings, an example of the themes of hypocrisy and injustice that the book addresses.
These are the main characters of the book.
