Summer of My German Soldier

The ring that Anton gives Patty right before he flees symbolizes his love for her and also her own value as a person, contributing to the theme of Transformation from Alienation to Independence. The ring has been passed down from father to son for several generations in Anton’s family. It was made for his great grandfather when he was president of the University of Gottingen, the same university where his father was bullied for criticizing Hitler, and it is emblazoned with the president’s crest. It is a family heirloom that signifies the generational links between parent and child and also a legacy of resistance against Nazism. In passing the ring on to Patty, Anton creates an alternative lineage that both invokes the traditional provenance of the ring (parent to child) and revises the line to show the love of friendship is just as important as kinship.

When he gives her the ring, Anton tells Patty, “Even if you forget everything else I want you to always remember that you are a person of value, and you have a friend who loved you enough to give you his most valued possession” (155). Anton stresses his own personal valuing of the ring, which is different than describing the ring as valuable in terms of its monetary value.