72 pages • 2 hours read
Number the Stars
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Themes
Bravery in Both Large and Small Actions
Although numerous characters in the book commit brave acts, Annemarie's character development demonstrates how both large and small actions can be brave. Early in the book, when Annemarie positions all of Denmark as being the bodyguard for Jewish people, she wonders if she would have enough courage to protect them and die for them if necessary. She finds this overwhelming. Later, when Uncle Henrik asks if she is brave, she responds that she doesn't think she is. Yet she undoubtedly is brave as she runs through the forest to deliver the package to her uncle.
The key to this theme lies in Ellen’s Star of David necklace and in Peter's reading of the psalm that gives the book its title. During the psalm, Annemarie is overwhelmed by the number of stars and the size of the world. However, when it comes to saving her friend, Annemarie doesn’t think twice about taking Ellen’s necklace and hiding it in her palm, showing incredible courage in such a small action. In this sense, the book centers around the idea that we do not have to set out to save the world: it is sufficient to commit small acts of bravery and build upon them in order to have a positive effect.
The Importance of Resisting Evil
In the novel, evil is represented by the German soldiers and the Nazi party occupying Denmark more widely. Although Annemarie is scared of the soldiers, she is careful to follow their orders during their first encounter, when running home from school. However, as the book goes on, she witnesses how the soldiers’ actions affect the lives of those around her: from her neighbors, whose shop has to close, to the Rosens, who are forced to flee because they are Jewish.
Through Annemarie's close friendship with Ellen, the reader learns about the important work of the Resistance—and how “everyday” people, such as the Johansens, work and cooperate with them in order to resist Nazi rule and protect the innocent. The friendship between the Johansens and Rosens shows that this is an issue that will affect all of them, making it all the more vital that the Johansens help the Rosens escape.
The Safety and Dangers of Ignorance
At the beginning of the novel, Annemarie knows very little about the situation in Denmark. Due to her lack of knowledge, she answers the German soldiers' questions with relative ease in the first chapter. However, her younger sister Kirsti, who is much less aware than Annemarie, is quite brazen with the soldiers. The adults in the book keep key information about the Resistance from the children because when they do not know the information, they are unable to reveal it. This has benefits—Annemarie pretends to be like Kirsti when confronting the Nazis in the woods and her innocent attitude protects her—but it also has real dangers. These dangers become clear on the train, when Annemarie worries that Kirsti will reveal Ellen's faith to the soldiers.
This theme is made more explicit in Annemarie's discussions with her uncle and her realization that there is no Great-Aunt Birte (and that her funeral, therefore, is a sham). Annemarie learns enough information to know that it is false but decides to keep this information from Ellen. She does not want to burden Ellen with this knowledge, knowing that if soldiers confront them, it will be easier for Ellen to lie if she does not know she is lying. Annemarie's increasingly complex understanding of truth and ignorance over the course of the novel is one of the main ways in which she grows as a character.
Fairy Tales Versus Reality
Fairy tales often appear in the everyday lives of the characters, serving as sources of happiness amidst the dangers that the war presents. Annemarie invents fairy tales to tell Kristi, and she remembers the tale of Little Red Riding Hood while going alone through the dark forest. Elements of fairy tales also help ground the characters by reminding them of how life was before the arrival of the Nazis. The presence of the king, for example, or the abandoned castle they see in the countryside are both fairy tale fixtures that also represent a happier, more peaceful time in Denmark. Even memories of Tivoli Gardens, the fairytale like amusement park that Annemarie and Ellen used to go to before the occupation, allows the girls to pretend for a moment that the current situation does not exist
However, these fairy tales and their components often are at odds at what is presented in the real world. King Christian X does his best for his country, but this involved surrendering to the Nazis and blowing up his own naval fleet—actions with complex motivations that go far beyond those in a fairy tale. Ironically, the destruction of the Danish naval fleet is described in the novel when Kristi mistakenly thinks she also remembers seeing fireworks at Tivoli Gardens, showing how elements of fantasy are often closely intertwined with the harsher reality. In another example, Annemarie does not take a walk through the woods just to deliver food to a family member, as Little Red Riding Hood did. Instead, she delivers a secret packet to the Resistance. In this sense, the book shows how much more complicated real life is than fairy tales, but also the true bravery and selfless deeds that can arise from these complicated situations.
Unlock all 72 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Lois Lowry
