“She bustled about, tending to her wounded warrior, while she listened to his tale.”

When Joris returns home after saving the puppy, his mother tends to his cuts and bruises. By calling him a “wounded warrior,” she compares him to a soldier, and this scene thus foreshadows his later role in resisting the Germans and exhibiting Children’s Ability to Enact Change.

“You women always judge people by what they do in church. I judge them by what they do outside. Farmer Schenderhans is getting rich in the black market.”

When Mother expresses her shock that a Catholic family could raise a boy to become a landwatcher and spy on his own community, friends, and family, Father makes this vehement response, which suggests that people are not always what they seem. Just because someone goes to church does not mean that they are good. This comment also sets the tone for the gray areas of morality that arise during war. For example, Mother later notes that lying is okay if it is done to save a person’s life.

“A heron flew out of the reeds and flapped huge wings. The sun glittered back from the water, flickering in his face.

[…]

Joris rowed slowly, resting from time to time as he gazed at the old mill. They were drifting along peacefully when there was a droning in the sky. Bombers came soaring through the blue, more and more bombers. There was a noise of antiaircraft guns; the peaceful sky was rent with exploding shells. One of the bombers was hit. It reeled, burst into flames, and started to come down, scattering parts as it fell.”

As the boys ride along the canal, the peace and natural beauty contrast sharply with the war that breaks out in the skies above. By introducing this disparity, the author emphasizes that the boys cannot play outside without risk. As the bombers and bullets disrupt “the peaceful sky,” this image underscores Joris’s earlier observation that war is a normal part of his family’s daily life.

“Mother began to weep again. She held the baby very tightly, as if something were hurting her. ‘No,’ she said fiercely. ‘No, I don’t. I can’t. They have done things that are too terrible…I can’t forgive them…I’m sorry, it is too hard…’

Joris was amazed. His mother, who was so wise and powerful and good, could not do what she knew to be right. He had not known that it happened to grown-ups, too.”

As Mother holds the Groens’ baby and declares that God wishes for them to love everyone, she admits that she cannot bring herself to love the Germans. Joris’s innocent surprise shows his unwavering faith in his parents as the arbiters of all truth, and this moment forces him to recognize that his most beloved role models are as fallible as he is. Furthermore, this moment shows Mother’s willingness to jeopardize her own family’s safety in order to save the Groens’ child and uphold her principles. Thus, even as she cannot bring herself to love the Germans in a Christian sense, her determination to protect the infant shows The Importance of Making Ethical Choices.

“Joris had so seldom been out at night, he hadn’t realized what a strange world he was stepping into. The moonlight threw dark shadows, and in its pale shimmer even familiar objects looked weird and a little frightening.”

As Joris walks to the Giant at night to deliver food to Charles King, he is frightened by his surroundings as the night and moon interact to make everything seem unfamiliar. The perceived strangeness of his otherwise everyday surroundings stresses that his current goal is also very much outside his normal range of activity.

“‘An aviator!’ she repeated. ‘And are you hiding him? Oh, how splendid. I’ve never done anything as brave as that!’”

This is Reina’s reaction to the news that Joris and Dirk Jan are helping the British pilot. Her response is ironic because she constantly shows her courage. As a courier for the Underground, she distributes their illegal newspaper and often warns them of impending danger. Together, she and the boys illustrate children’s ability to enact change, as they are all helping the resistance effort in some way.

“In the old days there had been a tub of clean water for everyone, but it took fuel to heat water, so now they just took turns going in first. There was no soap, only a scrubbing brush and scouring powder which scratched the skin.

[…]

Mother was making a winter coat for Trixie out of an olive-green plush tablecloth. She said the color would go very well with Trixie’s curls. She had to hurry because it was getting dark. There was no oil for lamps anymore and even candles were scarce.”

This passage highlights the myriad ways in which the German occupation has impacted the family; even the things that most people take for granted—like hot water, soap, oil, and candles—are now very scarce. However, the desperation of the circumstances is contrasted with Mother’s steadfast love as she repurposes an old tablecloth so that Trixie can have a winter coat. Her positive outlook on the situation, set forth as a brave front for her children, teaches them to make the best of it.

“‘Er…yes, I suppose I do [know Kees Kip],’ Uncle Cor admitted slowly.

‘What’s he like?’ asked Joris and Dirk Jan together.

‘We don’t discuss our leaders,’ said Uncle Cor.

‘But he’s very famous, isn’t he?’ Dirk Jan wanted to know.

‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that,’ answered Uncle Cor. ‘He has done no more than the others.’”

When the boys pose questions about the famous revolutionary Kees Kip, Uncle Cor answers “slowly” and with hesitation, and this description suggests that he knows far more about the man than he is letting on. His reluctant allowance that he “supposes” he knows Kip also suggests that he is Kip, and his subsequent humility in downplaying Kip’s contribution to the Resistance reinforces this fact and suggests that Cor is trying to deflect attention from himself.

“The roaring bombers and antiaircraft guns tried to drown out the music of the bells, but Joris knew, as he lay listening, which of the two sounds would win. The war noises came and went. Often they stopped, too violent to last. The bells went steadily on, like breathing.”

When Joris notes that the sound of church bells will outlast the sounds of war, he reveals his own deep hope for peace and displays optimism about the future. Yet even his peaceful thoughts contain a measure of fortitude and defiance, as he uses a simile comparing the bells to breathing and thus to life. By contrast, he marks the “war noises” as a temporary thing that cannot fully drown out the peace and faith in God that the bells represent.

“‘Then there is another thing,’ Father Kobus went on. ‘If God interfered too much with us, we would not be free. You have a dog. Would you like it if she only followed you when you dragged her by a rope?’”

When Joris expresses frustration that God has not stopped the Germans, Father Kobus draws a comparison between the idea of God controlling humans and Joris putting Freya on a leash. The priest uses this visceral image to give the young boy a realistic representation of a more abstract theological concept, showing him that just as Joris would prefer Freya to follow him out of love, God wants the people on earth to follow him and be good people because it is their own choice to do so. This is how Father Kobus attempts to explain a God who “allows” Germans to commit atrocities.

“It is bad when you hide the truth from someone who has a right to it, and in a normal world, where people try to obey God, everyone has a right to the truth. But when you know that the other person is going to use the truth to rob and maim and kill, do you think he still has a right to it? The Germans, may God forgive them, broke their treaty with us, invaded our country, bombed our cities, chased away our lawful government, killed or deported our men, women, and children, robbed us of anything they could lay their hands on. Do you think they have a right to the truth?”

When Mother defends her decision to tell a lie that keeps other people safe and prevents someone with evil intent from causing harm, her position shows that committing morally ambiguous acts is sometimes necessary to protect human life. Furthermore, because Mother explains the realities of the war to Joris even though he is only 10 years old, her actions suggest her own belief in children’s ability to enact change during wartime.

“There was a silence when the children stopped. St. Nicholas had tears in his eyes, and so had Mother and Father, for the innocent mites had sung the second couplet of the forbidden national anthem, the song of William the Silent.”

Koba and Betsy sing the Dutch national anthem for “St. Nicholas” and unknowingly move everyone to tears because the song has been forbidden. In the girls’ innocence, they do not realize the significance of the song; they simply wanted to please St. Nicholas, whom they believe to be magical. This moment highlights the idea that some children retain their innocence despite the war, and the emotional scene simultaneously conveys a tone of grief and optimism.

“This was only the beginning of the winter. There was not yet a continuous procession of foragers from dawn to dusk, in such close formation that it was like a marching army.”

When Dirk Jan begins his trek to Leyden to deliver Cor’s message, he sees starving people emerging from hiding to look for food. However, the dire statement that “this [i]s only the beginning of winter” suggests that what Dirk Jan sees is not the worst that the people will have to endure. The simile comparing the number of starving people to a “marching army” shows that many people will suffer this fate in months to come. With the simile, van Stockum illustrates how much the Germans have taken from the Dutch.

“They might think there were in control here, but they did not know that Dirk Jan had sent a signal concerning a weapon-dropping right over their heads!”

After Dirk Jan helps van Loo position the windmill wings to alert Cor that the weapons drop will be moved to Saterwoude, he walks downstairs past the German soldiers. His triumph at sending this signal right in front of them emphasizes his ability to use Creativity as a Survival Tactic, as the windmill communication system is a clever way for the Underground to send messages without being caught.

“The women in the truck were singing folksongs and popular tunes. Dirk Jan felt proud of his country and his people. These were dark days, and the passengers in the truck were all women who’d probably not eaten a decent meal in months, always giving the best to the men and children. He knew! They had nothing to look forward to except more misery, and yet they sang. That’s what Holland was like. The Germans would never get her down.”

As the truck leaves Leyden and the English bombers fly overhead, the women sing triumphantly, causing Dirk Jan to feel a surge of pride as he reflects on the strength and resilience of the Dutch. The song shows him that no matter what happens, the Germans will not win. The author’s use of short, declarative sentences and blanket statements illustrates Dirk Jan’s optimism and idealism.

“‘Well, you may talk, Hildebrand,’ said Mother, ‘and I daresay you are right, but if they touched my children, I’d take the breadknife to them, sword or no sword.’”

Mother responds to Hildebrand’s logic that acting only on emotion to fight the Germans will perpetuate the cycle of violence. Although she agrees in theory, she acknowledges that individual situations are far more complex, and her admission shows that all the fine principles in the world could not stop her from committing violence in the name of protecting her children. Her confession emphasizes that there are many responses to injustice.

“Glad to stretch his legs again, Joris followed the wagon at a respectable distance. He did not want to be discovered. Something warned him that his uncle would not be pleased. It had been a weapon-dropping Joris had witnessed, of course.”

After following the wagon, Joris realizes that he has witnessed the weapons drop, and he knows that Cor would be upset at his presence due to the danger involved. Because Joris is only just realizing this, the scene emphasizes his naïveté. Up to this point, he followed the wagon simply out of his resentment for being excluded from a secret between Cor and Dirk Jan. This selfish action marks him as a young and immature child who does not fully understand the complexities of wartime dangers.

“You handled that very cleverly. Perhaps next time I shall let you in on my secrets.”

When Joris distracts a nosy neighbor from the weapons drop, his indirect aid highlights the smaller yet significant roles that children play in the Resistance, illustrating children’s ability to enact change. Cor recognizes Joris’s deft handling of Hendrik and bestows a much-coveted compliment upon the boy, praising his use of creativity as a survival tactic.

“‘Don’t let them catch you,’ he said, ‘I couldn’t bear it…’

Uncle Cor’s face grew grave. ‘That’s in God’s hands,’ he said. Then he put his arms around Joris and held him close for a moment. ‘Good-by, lad…’ he murmured. ‘God bless you…’ And he was gone.

Joris never forgot that talk.”

As they reconcile after the weapons drop, Joris and Cor say goodbye, and the ponderous tone gives weight to this moment and inserts an implicit hint about the man’s imminent death. By describing the boy’s fear, Cor’s sentiment farewell, and the fact that Joris never forgets this exchange, the author makes it very clear that this is the last time the two will ever be together.

“‘We are now going to let the water into the Rynsater polder,’ he said. ‘This is a solemn moment. It is seldom that we voluntarily break a dike. I hope that we will each in our own way say a prayer for the success of this undertaking.’”

Before releasing water through the dike, the polder committee president addresses the gathering crowd. The moment is solemn because their actions represent the extreme measures that the Dutch must take as they use creativity as a survival tactic. Ordinarily, a dike is meant to hold water at bay, but they are breaking this rule in order to save the land and people from further devastation and starvation.

“Our Lord the Wind has chased with mighty roars

The waterwolf whose teeth were nibbling at our shores.”

After three days of working tirelessly to remove water, Father feels triumphant enough to quote Vondel, a Dutch poet. This verse emphasizes the protective powers of the wind—and, by extension, windmills—likening the wind itself to an omnipotent God. Furthermore, the wind has saved them from the water, but these lines are also a metaphor suggesting that the windmills play a role in protecting the Dutch from the Germans.

“He never knew how he opened that door, and then they were in each other’s arms so to speak, he and Freya! He brought her into the kitchen where he lit the oil-wick. She seemed to be starving, so he fed her leftover fish and wheat mash.”

In addition to representing loyalty and serving as a motif for the importance of making ethical choices, Freya also symbolizes resilience. After she is captured and locked in the Giant, she finds her way back to Joris just before she has her puppies. Her extreme hunger highlights the hardship that she endures in her quest to return to the Verhagens.

“The winter was receding. Warm sunshine woke up the polders to new life. The Allies were winning on all sides, marching into the East of Holland after liberating the South.”

The change in weather serves as a physical representation of the end of the war. Winter often represents death and hardship, which the war and German occupation have brought to Holland. However, with the cold and snow receding, hope for an Allied victory returns, especially with the news that parts of the country are already being liberated.