Someone Named Eva

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-7

Chapters 8-10

Chapters 11-14

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Chapters 8-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 8 Summary: “May 1944: Fürstenberg, Germany”

On Eva’s first day in the Werner home, the sounds of Herr Werner and Peter playing awaken her. Then, Frau Werner leads Eva to her first bath in years. Eva thinks of running away, but the strange smell that lingers around the house stops her. She knows it must be caused by something nearby and is afraid of what she might find.

She spends her first few days exploring the large house and finds a locked door. Peter and Elsbeth tell her that she cannot go in that room; it is Herr Werner’s office, and he is an important member of the Nazi party. Eva fears Herr Werner, who is kind and gentle with his son but mean to the servants, Frau Werner, and Elsbeth. Herr Werner reminds Eva of Fräulein Krüger.

One night, the whole family dines in the formal dining room. There is a grand antique chandelier, and Helga, the maid, carefully lights each individual candle. When finished with dinner, Eva stands to clean her plate. The family freezes, and Frau Werner tells Eva it is not appropriate for her to clean up after herself. Eva instinctively salutes the photo of Hitler and apologizes to the family. She is bothered by how naturally the Nazi salute came to her. Later, Eva receives a letter from Franziska, who has fully embraced her role in her German family. Eva tears the letter to shreds, thinking of Ruzha, the Czech girl who no longer exists.

While Peter attends a local school, Frau Werner teaches Eva and Elsbeth home economics, basic math, and science. One day, they are taught to polish silver, and Eva and Elsbeth bond over shared jokes. As their relationship grows, Elsbeth tells Eva that Herr Werner likes Peter best, and it will always be that way. Eva observes Elsbeth and Peter’s relationship curiously. Peter knows that he is the favorite and uses that power to get away with mischief.

One day, Peter follows Eva and Elsbeth around mocking them. Elsbeth tackles him and tickles him, laughing, until Elsbeth accidentally makes Peter’s nose bleed. He promises not to tell their Father, and Eva realizes for the first time that she cares for Peter and Elsbeth as her siblings.

Eva looks forward to Frau Werner tucking her in every night and begins thinking of her as “Mutter,” or mother. One night, Mutter tells Eva that there will be an adoption party in her honor. Frau regards Eva’s silence as a sign of happiness, but Eva is numb and upset. To her, the adoption means that her future is hopeless because her family is never coming for her.

Chapter 9 Summary: “June 1944: Fürstenberg, Germany”

Eva is called into Mutter’s sewing room, where Mutter has made Eva a long blue dress for the adoption party. To try it on, Eva removes Babichka’s pin, scared it will tear the satin dress, and puts it in a desk drawer for safekeeping.

While preparing for the party, Eva and Elsbeth embroider linens when Eva suddenly remembers her grandmother. She wants to share her memories with Elsbeth but realizes that she can no longer remember the Czech name she would call her grandmother. Eva notices that she is forgetting how to speak Czech and cries. Later, Eva and Elsbeth stargaze from the porch of the house. Eva finally asks what causes the smell. Uncomfortable, Elsbeth tells her that the smokestacks at the nearby prison camp are burning the bodies of dead prisoners.

Chapter 10 Summary: “June 1944: Fürstenberg, Germany”

Eva’s adoption party arrives, and the house is full of people. Elsbeth introduces Eva to her friends and calls Eva “her sister” for the first time. Mutter is awarded a bronze medal, and Eva learns that German mothers receive awards based on the number of their children: Women with three children receive a bronze medal; women with four children receive a silver cross; and women with five or more children receive a gold medal so that everyone can see they are good German mothers adding to the strength of Germany. For the first time, Eva feels important for “adding” so much value to the Werner family and to Germany. After the party, Eva and Elsbeth sit outside. Eva feels happy and content for the first time in years.

Chapters 8-10 Analysis

Thematically, Chapters 8 through 10 characterize Eva’s contentedness in her German home and her inadvertent loss of identity after she is officially adopted into the Werner family. The indoctrination that she received at the facility is still prevalent, shown in the way Eva instinctively salutes Hitler to apologize for her blunder at the dinner table and how the German language has replaced her native Czech.

Eva’s concept of family is changing as well. In Chapter 9, Eva realizes that she cares for Peter and Elsbeth, and she soon begins calling Frau Werner her Mutter. Although Eva is happy to have companionship, safety, and comfort, she is still aware that the Werners are not her true family. This underlying discomfort fades as the narrative progresses, however. Eva is thrilled when Elsbeth calls her a sister, and Eva feels proud to have added value to the Werner family. She begins to think of herself as part of the family and is happy. Eva’s longing for the security of family speaks to the theme of The Power of Family.

Eva’s identity is also being subtly threatened in these chapters. At the facility, Eva would be punished for remembering who she was before. In contrast, at the Werners’, she is rewarded for being who they have made her. Originally, Eva is heartbroken at the concept of the adoption party, feeling that it will take her further from her family of origin. By the time the party comes around, however, she is excited about the pretty dress and flattered by the attention she receives at the party.

In Chapter 9, Eva removes Babichka’s pin and places it out of sight. This action is symbolic of Eva’s loss of identity. She begins to forget her Czech self when the pin is not there, but by the end of Chapter 10, she is too content with her place in the Werner family to remember she has removed it.

Another symbol emerges in these chapters: the Werners’ antique chandelier. The chandelier represents German opulence and the wealth the Werners have enjoyed under the Nazi regime. Although the Werners could easily opt to use electricity in lieu of the grand chandelier, which is tedious to light, they prefer the extravagant spectacle.