Chapter 42: You Have Been Called – Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Werner returns to Children’s House after his exams in Essen. The younger children clamour for stories, but Jutta is distant. He has spent part of the money from Herr Siedler on a cheap two-valve radio called a People’s Receiver, which can only pick up German state broadcasts. The children are delighted; Jutta shows no interest.
Five days later, a hand-delivered letter arrives. Werner has been accepted to the National Political Institute of Education #6 at Schulpforta, a school two hundred miles away. The fare is already paid. Frau Elena tells him that the neighbors will celebrate, but not Jutta. Werner rehearses an argument about duty (Pflicht).
News spreads quickly. Neighbors bring food and pass around the letter. The children sing patriotic songs. Jutta retreats upstairs and refuses to come down for dinner. After the meal, five-year-old Siegfried Fischer gives Werner a newspaper photograph of fighter-bombers soaring above clouds, their pilots’ scarves trailing. The boy’s face is full of belief. Werner takes the picture and promises, “I will,” understanding that he is now expected to become one of those pilots.
Key Events
- Werner returns from the Essen exams and gives the children a low-power People’s Receiver; Jutta remains cold.
- A letter from the National Political Institute of Education #6 arrives, accepting Werner to Schulpforta with all expenses paid.
- Frau Elena warns Werner that the neighbors will celebrate his acceptance but that Jutta will not.
- Werner mentally prepares an appeal to Jutta based on duty (Pflicht).
- Neighbors crowd into Children’s House; a party erupts, complete with singing of patriotic songs.
- Jutta stays in her room and does not come down for dinner.
- Young Siegfried Fischer gives Werner a photograph of fighter-bombers, and Werner vows to live up to the boy’s expectations.
Character Development
- Werner Pfennig: Werner sees the acceptance letter as his escape from the mines. He is caught between pride and anxiety, especially about Jutta’s reaction. His promise to the little boy shows his willingness to embrace the role the regime expects of him.
- Jutta Pfennig: Jutta remains silent and refuses to participate in the celebration. Her withdrawal signals her deepening distrust of the Nazi ideology that is pulling her brother away.
- Frau Elena: The caretaker understands the political reality: the neighbors will celebrate a boy who is “called.” She feels a sorrow that she cannot share—Jutta’s grief—and laughs bitterly at the thought of the vice minister who took Werner’s book.
- Siegfried Fischer: The youngest child embodies the innocence that has already been co-opted by Nazi propaganda. His gift of the warplane photograph reveals how children are conditioned to idolize military violence.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Duty vs. Conscience: Werner tells himself that Pflicht (duty) justifies his departure, yet Jutta’s silence reminds him that conscience sometimes demands a different choice.
- Escape and Entrapment: The letter promises freedom from the mines, but the school at Schulpforta will bind Werner to a different system. The cheap radio, which can only receive German stations, symbolizes the narrowing of the world.
- Propaganda and Childhood: The singing of Rise! Rise! and the photograph of warplanes show how children are indoctrinated. Siegfried’s belief in Werner mirrors the regime’s use of young heroes.
- The Photograph as Icon: The newspaper image of fighter-bombers becomes a sacred object for Siegfried. Werner’s acceptance of it marks his first step toward embodying that image.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the hinge on which Werner’s story turns. The formal invitation to Schulpforta sets him on the path to becoming a Nazi soldier, a path that will lead him to Saint-Malo and his fateful encounter with Marie-Laure. It also deepens the rift between Werner and Jutta, whose moral resistance is now fully visible. The party scene contrasts the joy of the neighbors with Jutta’s silent anguish, foreshadowing the tragic costs of Werner’s ambition. Finally, Siegfried’s gift of the warplane photograph reveals how the regime shapes even the youngest minds, turning admiration into expectation.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Jutta refuse to join the celebration?
Jutta rejects the Nazi ideology that her brother is about to embrace. She has seen the harm that nationalism causes and fears that Werner will become someone she no longer recognizes. Her silence is a form of protest.
2. What does the People’s Receiver symbolize in this chapter?
The radio, which can only receive German state programs, represents the limitations that the Nazi regime places on information. It is the opposite of the foreign broadcasts that Werner and Jutta once listened to together, and it marks his acceptance of a controlled worldview.
3. How does Werner justify his decision to attend Schulpforta?
He tells himself that Pflicht (duty) requires every German to serve. He also sees the school as his only escape from the mines. Yet his internal rehearsal of the argument suggests that he is trying to convince himself as much as Jutta.