Snow Treasure

The theme of Bravery in the Face of Danger is once again presented as an important element of these chapters, for the children must demonstrate significant courage in carrying out their vital task under the noses of the watching German soldiers. Helga’s insistence on going first, knowing that this will make the guards less suspicious, further characterizes her as a courageous individual. With this scene, McSwigan celebrates the power of the underdog to overcome tremendous odds and achieve success. This dynamic is doubly significant because not only do the Nazis underestimate children, but they also underestimate women, who are perceived as being less capable of subterfuge or military-adjacent activity. This assumption is ultimately to the Nazis’ own detriment, for they fail to recognize little Helga’s lofty status as a covert member of the Norwegian resistance.

Throughout the novel, McSwigan conveys a distinctly feminist undertone through the influence of such characters as Helga, Lovisa, and Mrs. Lundstrom, all of whom are capable and essential members of the gold-smuggling scheme. With this theme, McSwigan (whose novel was published just as Germany invaded the Soviet Union) unknowingly parallels the shock of German soldiers who encountered fierce resistance from exceptional female snipers of the Red Army on the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945. In Germany, Hitler ruled that no woman was to pick up a weapon, for Nazi ideology demanded that women’s roles be limited to those of the domestic sphere. Despite the strictures of Nazi ideology, German soldiers quickly stopped dismissing the threat posed by female Red Army snipers as the women’s proficiency with firearms claimed the lives of many of their fellow soldiers. The snipers’ skill became so highly respected that Germany even tried to recruit a number of female snipers from the Red Army, such as Lyudmila Pavlichenko, who was known to her enemies as “Lady Death” and had logged 309 confirmed kills of Nazi soldiers (Dean, Mack. “Lyudmila Pavlichenko.” World War 2 Facts, 2021).

The concept of Environment as Ally is also explored as an important theme in these chapters. A prime example of this occurs with the blizzard that extends the period of snow and allows the children to keep transporting gold once the blizzard subsides. The synergy between the townsfolk and elements is further reflected in the Lundstroms’ utter relief and ability to sleep “soundly that night,” for “[n]ow they could hope for the gold’s safe transit again” (72). In this passage, the snowy weather is almost (but not quite) personified, for it seems to be acting almost consciously on behalf of the Norwegian resistance movement. Furthermore, the Norwegians’ competence in extreme weather and their conscientious preparedness for it is emphasized throughout this section, highlighting their ability to seize the opportunity presented by the harsh weather and use the natural environment to their advantage. As the author states, “[There was food aplenty in all the houses. No one needed to worry about a neighbor going hungry” (72). The citizens of Riswyk have learned to live in this extreme environment, and therefore, their preparations allow them to enjoy the blizzard rather than fearing it. The collusion of the Norwegian weather with the Norwegian cause is further illustrated in the characters’ enjoyment of the pause from activity that the blizzard itself affords them, for the entire Lundstrom family “was enjoying being snowbound” (73). From the very beginning of the story, the weather is thus seen to be acting on behalf of the protagonists, who take advantage of their good fortune to utilize the cover of the snow and redouble their efforts.

The fact that the weather is an ally for the Norwegians is further emphasized by the fact that it is clearly a hindrance for the Germans. While the blizzard provides a restful week and lifted spirits for the well-prepared Riswyk locals, it harries the Germans’ encampment. Indeed, the Norwegians are pleased to see the German invaders suffer during the blizzard and make no attempts to help the invaders, for it is viewed as a just punishment for the Germans’ unwelcome occupation. As McSwigan emphasizes, “Nobody had invited them to come up to the Arctic Circle to share a Norway blizzard, [so] they would have to manage the best they could” (73). Accordingly, the children are pleased to see damage to the German camp when they pass after the blizzard. Hearing the Germans arguing among themselves, Peter happily reflects, “I guess the storm did more damage than we know” (80). The weather, an enemy of the Germans, sows discord and enmity among the frustrated soldiers who try to fix their damaged barracks and curse the extreme and unforgiving environment.

The environment is further presented as an ally to the local Norwegians in the beauty of the wintery landscape as experienced by the children, and McSwigan waxes poetic in her descriptions of the magical landscape, writing, “the sunlight scattered handfuls of diamonds over the streets. In the yards were crystal prisms that showed every color of the rainbow where the sun touched the glittering white” (75). This imagery conjures a stunning and ethereal scene of wintery beauty that portrays the landscape itself as a friend to the Norwegians. The locals of Riswyk thus make it a point to celebrate the magnificent beauty of the natural world that the blizzard has created, and this delight is made clear by the children’s enjoyment of immersing themselves in the scenery as they savor “the rare pleasure of making fresh footprints in the white world of the forest” (75).

The positive reaction of the Norwegian children to the aftermath of the blizzard can be juxtaposed with the anger and frustration of the Germans, who hated their days stuck indoors and curse the impossible landscape they find themselves in once the storm has passed. The children wryly observe that “being housebound for three days hadn’t improved the Commandant’s disposition” (78). Even at the lookout, the children can hear “the snarl of his [the Commandant’s] voice” as he overlooks the repair of the storm damage and curses the “crazy wild weather in this part of the world” (80). Thus, the utter nastiness of the Commandant is further emphasized here as he positions himself as a foe of the very elements and rails against them just as he rails against the Norwegians whose land he occupies.

In a more direct fashion, the natural environment is also presented as an ally in Victor’s clever disguise of the Cleng Peerson. As McSwigan states, “The forest seemed to dance. Pines [the children] thought rooted to the bank, now seemed to have no roots at all but were bobbing up and down with the rush of the current” (108). Peter is shocked to realize that he is looking at the Cleng Peerson, covered in brush to look as if it is part of the shoreline. Thus, parts of the forest are used to disguise the boat from German eyes, once again suggesting that the environment is dedicated to protecting and shielding the local Norwegians even as it behaves antagonistically toward the foreign invaders.

This camouflage also connects to the recurring theme of Ingenuity and Resistance. The Norwegians continue to cleverly and cunningly outwit the Nazi soldiers by disguising the transportation of the gold as a mere child’s game and disguising the Cleng Peerson as part of the shoreline. Such demonstrations of cleverness render the Commandant’s tendency to call the Norwegians “dumb, stupid cattle” (81) all the more ironic, for he is outsmarted daily by the very people whose supposed “stupidity” sets his teeth on edge. While the Commandant is the clear antagonist from the moment of his arrival, these comments further establish a sense of his innate animosity toward all Norwegians, both adults and children alike. Thus, his mean-tempered attitude toward the locals serves to foreshadow the stressful scene in which he yells viciously at Lovisa and almost discovers the gold.