45 pages • 1-hour read
Four Perfect Pebbles
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Chapters 2-3Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 2 Summary: “A Small Town in Germany”
Content Warning: The section of the guide contains discussions of discrimination and violence.
Marion’s mother, Ruth, moved to the small town of Hoya in northwestern Germany after growing up in Prussia (modern Russia). She answered an ad for a bookkeeping position at a shoe store, which was owned by Walter’s parents. Walter proposed to Ruth shortly after she began working there, and they had their two children, Albert and Marion, in 1932 and 1934. Walter’s parents, Marion’s Oma and Opa, lived above the store, while Marion’s family lived on the third floor. The Blumenthals began noticing Hitler and his potential threat as early as the 1920s—a decade during which Hitler’s Nazi party gained traction. Hitler performed speeches across the country, highlighting Jews, communists, Roma people, and those with physical or mental disabilities as the underlying causes for Germany’s continuing economic strife following the First World War. Hitler promised to bring prosperity back to Germany, both through expansion and through targeting groups deemed “enemies within” (13). Although Jews made up less than one percent of the German population at the time, Hitler saw what wealth and influence they did have as a threat to Germany itself.
Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on January 30th, 1933, by President Hindenburg. The Nazi party began rapidly gaining power, transforming the German government into a dictatorship. Hitler ordered mass boycotts of Jewish businesses, and people like Walter, who served Germany in the First World War and grew up there, were suddenly struggling to earn a living. Walter’s parents held onto hope that the changes were temporary, but thousands of Jews began leaving Germany. In 1934, Hindenburg died, and Hitler became the President and Chancellor, or “supreme leader” of Germany. Children across Germany were conditioned to hate targeted groups from a young age, singing songs about the joys of killing them. Hitler introduced the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, which revoked citizenship from Jews and effectively rendered them unable to seek legal aid for the injustices they were facing.
Soon, Hitler’s campaign against Jews promised a Germany without Jews, and those who went against ever-changing laws and policies were arrested, abused, or killed. The first concentration camp in Germany— Dachau—was created in 1933, and those who opposed the regime were sent there. When Marion’s Oma and Opa both died in close succession, it was relieving to know that they would not have to suffer the loss of their home and livelihood. It also meant that the Blumenthals could begin making efforts to emigrate to the United States. They obtained all the necessary documents but had to await a visa. The United States’ immigration quotas were severely limited, which meant that waits were extraordinarily long. When Hitler annexed the neighboring country of Austria in 1938, it was a sign of worse to come; targeted efforts to rid Germany of specific groups of people rapidly intensified.
Chapter 3 Summary: “Get Dressed and Come With Us”
The Blumenthals were living in Hanover while awaiting their visa to emigrate to the United States. Marion and Albert had whooping cough, and as tensions rose in the country, Ruth and Walter reminded themselves to be patient. Hitler passed laws that forced Jews to be identified as such on their passports, and for all Jews to take the same middle name (Sarah or Israel). When Hitler and his Gestapo expelled the Polish Jews from Germany in November of 1938, it was no longer safe in Germany. One 17-year-old named Herschel Grynszpan, enraged by his father’s deportation, shot German ambassador Ernst vom Rath in Paris. Ruth and Walter were warned by their neighbors to get rid their guns, which they did.
When Rath died, the day was eerily silent, and the night that followed became known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. Nazis raided and destroyed Jewish businesses, demolishing synagogues, and removing men from their homes. The Blumenthals opened their door to the Gestapo, who told Walter to get dressed as they searched the apartment. They took Walter to the concentration camp called Buchenwald. During the night, over 30,000 Jewish men were taken to camps. Meanwhile, Ruth and her children wondered if they would ever see Walter again. Ruth attempted to get clearance for Walter by presenting the family’s emigration documents, but she received only a vague postcard from Walter telling the family not to send any return mail. Walter was released after 11 days in the camp, and he never spoke of his experiences.
The Blumenthals, like many other Jews, decided that staying in Germany would bring nothing but harm and made plans to move to Holland to await their visa. They packed their belongings, which were inspected and stripped, and made their way to Holland with almost nothing in their possession. They hoped to remain safe until their visa was approved, but they were aware that their lives were at a long-term risk.
Included in the memoir are several photographs, including one of Hitler giving a speech and thousands of supporters saluting him. There are photos of the Hitler Youth and the Star of David badge, which Jews were required to wear. The collection includes photos of Marion and her family in Holland, their shoe store in Hoya, and the postcard from Walter while he was in Buchenwald. There are documents showing his discharge, the Westerbork transit camp, and the list of people to be transported to Bergen-Belsen.
Chapters 2-3 Analysis
Although the atrocities of the Holocaust were underway by 1933, Marion and Albert’s early childhood years were stable, and the family still held onto hope that the Nazis’ influence would be short-lived. Marion explains how Hitler’s rise to power was largely the result of poor economic conditions in Germany at the time. During the 1930s, a worldwide economic depression caused massive unemployment. Many people lost everything, and many more lived in poverty for years. Germany was no exception to this problem, experiencing severe economic strife following World War I. This economic instability created a situation in which people were desperate for solutions, making them more susceptible to the Nazi Party’s propaganda.
The Treaty of Versailles, which was a peace treaty signed by both sides of World War I in 1919, required that Germany pay reparations totaling $33 billion, and Germany was in massive turmoil as a result. Hitler exploited the vulnerability of the German people, as well as their anger toward the injustices in their lives, to rise to power through promises to “restore Germany’s honor, increase its territory, and bring back its lost prosperity” (13). He then used these same people to turn against targeted groups like Jews. This process—scapegoating a vulnerable population to consolidate power—is a historical pattern seen in various forms of state-sponsored discrimination throughout history. The process took years, with the Holocaust unfolding over a period of over a decade through gradual and increasingly extreme measures. By weaving these historical facts into her personal narrative, Marion provides crucial context that transforms her story from an isolated family experience into a broader reflection of systemic persecution. The factual information serves as both a foundation for understanding the Nazis’ rise to power and an indictment of the conditions that allowed such extreme prejudice to take hold. In doing so, Marion establishes herself as both a witness and a historian, ensuring that her testimony is anchored in historical reality while also remaining deeply personal.
Alongside this factual stance is Marion’s family’s experiences, which coincided with the increasingly strict measures and targeted efforts to force Jews out of Germany. The timeline of events provides a backdrop for Marion’s family’s experiences, such as a midnight house raid in which Walter was arrested. Kristallnacht was a response to the killing of Ernst vom Rath and a demonstration by the Nazis that any attempt at rebellion would result in extreme force in return. It was also the night that Walter was arrested, and it signaled to the Blumenthals and others that Germany was no longer a safe place for Jews. Marion’s personal account offers a perspective often missing from textbook history—she illustrates not just the policies of the Nazi regime but their direct and devastating impact on families like hers. The Blumenthals’ story underscores the power of Hope and Resilience in the Face of Adversity, as they endured loss, displacement, and relentless persecution yet continued to hold onto the possibility of survival and renewal.
While their livelihoods and personhoods had already been under attack, now their very survival was at stake. The effort transformed from one of forced removal to one of genocide. Families were also given little to no information about their loved ones who were taken away, and this was one of many signs that they were no longer seen or treated as citizens of Germany. Being taken to the Buchenwald concentration camp changed Walter, and he never spoke of those experiences. This was true for many who survived the Holocaust because speaking about such horrific trauma can often result in a reliving of those experiences. Silence can thus be understood as a form of self-protection. People like Marion, who manage to find the courage to share their story, do so after years of healing and are motivated by the need to act as a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Contrastingly, Walter’s silence adds a haunting reminder of the different ways in which people endure and process hardship. In being taken first, Walter also demonstrates the potential impacts of long-term suffering; while the children were somewhat insulated, Walter and Ruth faced the full force of antisemitism, eroding their health and mental well-being.
Marion’s memoir includes a wide variety of photos, showcasing both positive and negative moments in the Blumenthals’ lives and the way that Jews were categorized and othered. By including real photographs of documents like Walter’s postcard and his discharge certificate, the text creates an extra layer of evidence to the reality of the Holocaust. These artifacts are primary sources and ground Marion’s deeply personal narrative in historical documentation. In a family photograph taken in Westerbork in 1941, there is clear worry in Ruth’s eyes, and Walter carries the look of a man who is powerless to help his family. Other photos show the extent of the prejudice that Jews experienced under the Nazis. One particularly powerful image shows the Central Synagogue of Hanover after Nazis destroyed it during Kristallnacht. People stand around, staring at the rubble, unable to do anything but feel the shock and sorrow of the loss. These blatant attacks on Judaism were part of the Nazis’ campaign to show Germany that Jews were no longer welcome there. Despite this, families like the Blumenthals did everything they could to survive, reinforcing the theme of Family as the Foundation for Survival. Their ability to endure was not just based on personal strength, but on the unwavering bond they shared, which carried them through even the darkest moments. Through both textual and visual storytelling, Marion ensures that the realities of the Holocaust are preserved for future generations.
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