The German Girl

Hannah eats a soup dinner with her parents at home as they reflect on what the future holds for them. By his side at the dinner table, her father has a copy of “Das Deutsche Madel—The German Girl: the propaganda magazine of the League of German Girls” (44). The magazine is for “pure young girls—the ones who don’t bear the stains of their four grandparents, the ones with small, snub noses, skin as white as foam, blond hair, and eyes bluer than the sky itself” (45). Hannah is on the cover. The man who took her photo on the street worked for Das Deutsche. Later during the dinner Hannah’s mother proposes that they visit Hotel Adlon. Hannah was once treated like royalty there but it has since become a place for Ogres. Finally, Hannah’s father tells her that they’re “going to live in America—in New York,” but that they must stop by “another country first. Only in transit, I promise you” (49). Hannah reflects that she thinks her father will be fine no matter what happens, but that her mother will likely go mad adapting to the world outside her home.