Number the Stars- Reality Sinks In

Continuing Number the Stars, it is clear to see that the reality of the situation of Annemarie's family and so many other Danish families becomes more and more apparent, as Nazi soldiers begin searching houses and hauling Jewish families away. Annemarie has certainly become more in tune with the gravity of the situation, as the Johansen family must take in one of Annemarie's friends, Ellen, as her parents hide elsewhere. The childlike innocence of the girls most certainly creates an even more prominent and sudden transition from their everyday lives to the new reality of Nazi soldiers barging through homes and pilfering through the most detailed aspects of peoples' lives. The gold star of David necklace that Ellen wore around her neck is significant to the story, as it highlights the harsh truth of her need to pretend to be someone she isn't when the girls must conceal it from the soldiers, and to give up her identity because of her situation.