The Light in Hidden Places

The motif of Chance, Improvisation, and Survival is frequently foregrounded in this section. Stefania has to take care of herself, her sister, and a growing number of Jews, and now she also has to listen to clucking chickens because they buffer the noises coming from the attic. Noisy as they are, the chickens are important to the survival of the Jews. Stefania is pushed in many different directions and must always be on her toes to protect herself and those in her charge. She becomes adept at thinking on her feet: Stefania keeps her cool and shows improvisation by engaging with the policeman. Lubek’s character becomes suspicious when he notices how much food Stefania uses, which motivates Stefania to dissuade him by lying that she is dating a German SS officer. The big and little deceptions aim to simply her situation, but her world is increasingly complicated, especially when she is forced to share the apartment with two German nurses. By chance, the factory across the street becomes a hospital, and the nurses need a room. Karin and Ilse are self-centered and unkind and threaten the survival of Stefania, her sister, and the Jews, as the nurses’ presence places extreme limits on their movements and interactions.

Other characters exhibit elements of this motif. Dr. Schillinger improvises by pretending to be her boss, and Hirsch connects to chance when he is robbed by a helpful thief who serves as a lookout. He correctly anticipated someone might rob him, so he left money in his pocket. The robber complicates the theme of Kindness Versus Cruelty by taking the money but serving as a lookout. He tells Hirsch, “I am a thief, Mr. Jew, but I am a thief with honor. I am not a killer” (237). The robber retains some virtue. Hirsch also links to the theme of Kindness Versus Cruelty. He told Malwina about the plan to hide in Stefania’s apartment cottage. By extending kindness to Malwina, He violated the oath and was selfish, endangering all the other Jews whom Stefania is hiding. In this narrative, many decisions are helpful to some while hurtful to others.

With 13 Jews in hiding, everyone in the house is called on to be brave, especially Stefania and Helena, whose daily decisions emphasize The Importance of Courage and Determination. Stefania and Januka display bravery when they hit two German soldiers in the face with their bags of coal. They took a chance, and it worked. The incident compels Max to teach Stefania how to box, which gives the story a funny, flirtatious moment and shows how important survival skills are in this dangerous world. Helena manifests courage that belies her youth while struggling as any child would in such harrowing circumstances. To avoid the stressful, dramatic atmosphere of the home, Helena leaves, yet the outside world isn’t much kinder. She gets in fights, and, to cope with her traumatic surroundings, she pretends their mom is back and works while she goes to school. She pretends she’s not in the middle of a genocide and a war.

The motif of Gender and Manipulation expands to include Hirsch and Malwina, who each appear to be using the other to get something: Hirsch gets a lovely younger wife, and Malwina gets a hiding place for her and her two children. The tension around Malwina foreshadows what will happen later when she runs outside.

Cameron’s imagery and descriptions are immersive. Vivid imagery and action convey the stressful party scene: “I run to the bedroom. The record is so loud it hurts my ears. One couple is dancing across the floor, the other sitting on the bed above the bunker, kissing” (249). The carefree young people threaten the lives of Jews, but chance saves them: Mrs. Krajewska arrives and yells at her for making noise. She also offers to introduce Stefania to her nephew, another link to the motif of gender and romance. Imagery and sense details convey the horror of the ghetto. Stefania witnesses and hears the brutal liquidation. She notes, “For two days, after the shootings, smoke blacks the sky. The Germans are burning bodies. Heaps of them” (273). Diction—a word like “heaps”—emphasizes the high death toll.

Max shows his leadership qualities by creating a hiding place in the attic. He also indirectly reveals his feelings for Stefania through his jealousy of Lubek. Stefania says, “Lubek makes Max mad” (260). Yet Stefania remains uncertain about their attraction. She says he kisses her “like his father would have. Or maybe not” (258). Maybe they’re just friends, or perhaps there’s something else there.

Emilika is helpful again when she supplies Stefania with a photo of an SS man. Chance brings the SS man into the shop, and the motif of gender and manipulation reappears. The SS man gets a kiss from Stefania, and Stefania manipulates people into thinking she has a boyfriend in the SS—someone with a boyfriend in the SS is not going to hide Jews. Mrs. Krawiecka falls for the photograph, and so does Lubek. He implies her fake relationship with the SS man is transactional. He says, “You’re just up for sale like the rest of them” (282). He adds, “You disgust me” (283). Cameron juxtaposes Lubek’s judgmental behavior with Max’s comforting conduct, and Max comes across as a symbol of kindness while Lubek looks cruel.

When more Jews come to hide in the attic, the stress and animosity increase. Stefania says, “Thirteen people are arguing all the time” (288). Stefania feels The Constant Demand for Sacrifice and does not fail them. She feels responsible for the Jews she’s hiding. They’re hers—she calls them “my thirteen” (290) and buys them things so they can celebrate the holidays properly. The game and Max’s impression of Churchill give the people in the house and the reader a break from the grim, intense life-or-death atmosphere.