Summer of My German Soldier

Patty, her parents, and her sister travel to Memphis to visit her maternal grandparents, who live in a wealthy section of town. Her father and grandfather have a cordial but tense relationship, but both of her grandparents are very affectionate with Patty. Her grandfather asks if she has been writing more letters to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and he praises her for a recent letter she wrote. Her grandmother is occupied with making delicious, traditional Jewish dishes for the family. She gives Patty $10 to buy books for herself despite Patty trying to tell her that her mother has forbidden her from taking anything from her grandparents. Her grandmother insists, telling Patty to keep it a secret between them and to come back when she needs more. Patty’s grandfather owns his own business, and Patty thinks that her father’s resentment toward him stems from her grandfather not offering him a place in the family business. At the same time, Patty remarks that her father hates to be obligated to anyone, which she does not understand. More maternal relatives arrive for dinner, and Patty feels treated like an adult. Her family returns home that night.

On a boring Monday morning, Patty is bringing rolls of change to her parents’ store. The POWs are brought into the store to purchase hats since they are being put to work picking cotton. One of the POWs, Frederick Anton Reiker, stands out from the group, as he is the only POW with dark hair and because he is the translator. Patty sells a red pencil sharpener to Anton, and in their brief conversation, she feels a connection. She learns that Anton’s mother is English. Anton’s father was a London-educated professor in Germany, but he can no longer publish because writing is forbidden. Anton is confident and nice, and Patty knows he isn’t “a bad man” (43). He tells her that he was a private in the German army, and before that he was a medical student. She prays to God for the possibility of him becoming her friend and, if that’s not possible, for his safety. On his way out of the store, Anton buys a pin that Patty thinks is gaudy.

Patty gives the bag of change to her mother, telling her how she was praised at the bank for being so polite. Her mother ignores her and instead tells her to do something with her hair while she makes a sale. When an employee insinuates that Patty is a Nazi sympathizer for talking to the POWs, Patty makes up a story about how Anton told her that Hitler had killed his father, mother, and sister and that he prays every night for the Americans to win the war.

Patty then goes to the house of a classmate who is “boy crazy” because Patty thinks the girl might understand her feelings about Anton. Patty is not able to express how she feels about Anton, however, and she leaves feeling frustrated.