The Nagler Advocate
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
~Book Summary Section~
Shadow on the Mountain
A Story About a Young Boy Involved in the Norwegian Resistance
Book Summary
The key characters in this story are Espen, Solveig, Ingrid, Kjell, and Askel. Espen’s problem is that he could get caught by the Nazis at any moment so he has a man vs man conflict. Solveig’s major conflict in the story is a man vs. self conflict. It is that type of conflict because it was her choice to hide Espen from the Nazis. Ingrid’s conflict is a man vs. society conflict because she is writing illegal journals and taking ration cards. Kjell’s conflict in the story is a man vs. self conflict. In the story he pretends to be Espen’s friend and he is trying to catch Espen with the Nazis. Askel’s conflict is a man vs self conflict because he tries to help Espen. Espen’s work is illegal so Askel shouldn’t be helping.
At the beginning of the book Espen mostly delivers illegal newspapers to other members of the resistance. People in the resistance start to see how good he is so they give him some much harder tasks. He delivered radios, revolvers, and all other illegal supplies. He does that for a while and then he starts to notice that his friend Kjell is up to something. There was one time when the Nazis stopped Espen and he saw Kjell in the truck. Kjell was a great way for the Nazi’s to spy on young resistance agents. There were a couple of times when Nazi cars would follow him and he would have to sleep at Solveig’s house. Things got more and more dangerous by the hour. Then one day someone told Espen that the Nazis were at his house and they were questioning his parents. He knew that he had to get to Tante Maria’s house fast. She was the leader of the resistance. When Espen got there Tante Maria told him that he had to flee the country. She said that guides would meet him along the way and they would guide him to Sweden. He started to ski and then he met the first guide. When he went to sleep the second guide came. When the third guide came Espen discovered that four Nazis were chasing him. Then they started to shoot at him. None of the bullets hit Espen, but when he looked at the Nazis he discovered that one of them was Kjell. Espen and his guide finally ski way ahead of the Nazis. Then Espen meets his fourth guide, after that he meets his fifth. When he is with his fifth guard they get to the checkpoint. The guide gives Espen fake travel permits. When Espen gets to the guard they don’t ask him any questions, they just let him through. This book ends on a cliffhanger because the book ends when Espen gets into Sweden.
Character Traits About Espen
The character I want to talk about in the story is Espen. He is
really brave because he never gives up. In the book he works for the
Norwegian resistance during World War 2. Even when the Nazis know that
there is a spy, Espen still chooses to serve his country even if he faces
danger. He is even brave at the start of the book, on page 4 he is carrying
illegal newspapers to Tante Marie and some Nazi soldiers stop him along
the way. Then later in the book on page 83, the resistance sends Espen
on a train to deliver a letter. He doesn’t even have any travel permits.
There are also many other points in the book when Nazi cars follow
Espen’s bike. Then on page 218 Espen really starts to be brave. He
spent the night at Solveig’s house and then he hears that the Nazis are at
his house, he went into Solveig’s basement and skied out the back door.
Also, Espen is so brave that he doesn’t want ntthe illegal papers to get to
the Nazis so the resistance tells him that he has to ski to Sweden and he
will meet guides along the way. Then on page 225 when Espen is with his
guide skiing to Sweden there are four Nazis chasing them on skis. Espen
doesn’t want to give up he keeps going. Then they loose the followers
and Espen is safely in Sweden.
Spotlight on History
The start of this book took place in 1940 at the beginning of World War 2. The day the book started was the exact day that the Nazis invaded Norway. Things were really different than they are today. In the story the author really talks about what life was like.
Example 1: On page 3 the Nazis stop Espen and inspect his backpack because they think that there might be something in it. At the time Espen was only a teenager. Even though he was carrying something illegal, why would the Nazis stop a young boy.
Example 2: On page 41 a Gestapo agent comes to Espen’s house and they take his scout uniform. They say that the scouts can not assemble or meet anymore. It was so incredible that they would think that the scouts were planning to attack the Nazis.
Example 3: On page 96 Espen and Ingrid are talking about what the Nazis are doing to the country. The Nazis are making teachers put a portrait of Quisling in every classroom and also that they are making children go to Hitler Youth exhibits. Today you cannot demand to hang a picture, and you certainly make children go somewhere.
Example 4: On page 111 Espen sees Ingrid feeding the prisoners. Espen asks how she got all of that food and she said that she stole ration cards. It was incredible that the Nazis invaded the country and took all of their food. The people of Norway are given ration cards that are only worth a little amount of food. I wonder why people didn’t protest. Today we let people buy the food they want and our government isn’t allowed to control our food.
Example 5: On page 123 Espen and his friends talk about Labor Service. The Nazis are making all people work as long as they are healthy. The only people who don’t have to do labor service are the people who have jobs that the Nazis benefit from. Today you can’t make a person work.
Example 6: On page 211 the Nazis come into Espen’s house while he isn’t home and aim their guns at his parents. Then when Ingrid comes home they aim their guns at her. Today that would never happen. You can’t scare a little girl like that, and who would want to do that. Then they made Ingrid show the soldiers around her house and they looked through every single thing. Our government can only do that today if they have a reason and permission.
Turning Points
In this picture Espen is on his bicycle delivering illegal newspapers and then the Nazis start to chase him in their truck. It is a turning point because it is when he starts to be followed by the Nazis on a regular basis.
Timeline
2. The Korean War started. ( June 25, 1950)
3. The Vietnam War started. (November 1, 1955)
4. The Gulf War started. (August 2, 1990)
5. Al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center. ( September 11, 2001)
6. War started in Afghanistan. ( October 7, 2001)
7. War started in Iraq. (March 20, 2003)