A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen (Chapter Summaries 1-16) – Flashcards

Gerta woke up to fence being almost done outside her house. German guards facing east. The fence divides the east and west side of Berlin. Gerta, who is 8, and her oldest brother Fritz (14) are on the east side with their mom. Her brother Dom, who is older than Gerta but younger than Fritz, is on the west side with their dad. They had gone there to look for an apartment and to see if there was any work.

The world consider east and west Germany in a "Cold War." They both make threats and use "puffed chests." Herr Krause is a neighbor. He came to visit 2 days before wall went up when everyone was home for dinner. He is an older man. The borders to the west were closed to keep people from leaving, even though the government says it is to keep evil western fascists out. There were still ways to get to the west though. Krause tells them they should leave and go west. The west was controlled by France, Great Britain, and the US in different areas. The east by Russia, who promised the people a better life, but it wasn't happening. The west was growing stronger and moving forward. The east was leaning on Russia. The gap between the way of life was widening. Everyone wanted to go but Mama. She says this is her home and her mother lives down the road. The west might not have jobs or places to live. Didn't want to bring kids up in a camp. This is why dad and Dom left, to go check it out.

People were trying to swim, run, and and some crashed their cars through the fence before it was cement to try to get to the west side. The West Germans protested. They knew the wall was made to keep people from leaving East Germany, and the guards facing east proved that. Mama said to accept not being able to leave. Gerta nodded her head but didn't mean it.

Gerta is 12 now. Other children barely notice the wall now, but Gerta still does. She's observed the guards and their patrols. After school she and her best friend Anna stay sometimes for Pioneer meetings that teach how freedom, individualism, and the west are bad. The family does everything to look like loyal East Germans. On the way to school Anna notices Dominic standing on a platform. She waved and got caught. A guard threatened her.

Food is cheap but scarce and drab. Something happened with Fritz but he didn't say what. Gerta told them she saw Dom. She told Mama they would be on west side if they'd left together.

Gerta and Fritz like The Beatles. It is how she learns some English. Fritz tells Gerta that Anna's brother Peter, who is away at a university, is going to try to go west tonight, using a special car made to hide someone. Fritz said he would go if he got the chance.

Gerta wonders if Peter made it. Anna and her family won't know he left for a while since he is away. She sees Dom again and her dad, who she sees wipes a tear. He dances a dance he used to do for her. When the raking part came after the shoveling, he kept digging. He also started in the middle of the song, which made no sense. She concluded he wants her to dig. But why and where?

Gerta went to basement and stred at the shovel trying to figure out what dad meant. Fritz was late for supper. Mama tells Gerta Peter was caught and shot/killed. Gerta realizes Fritz was the only one who knew and isn't home. She doesn't tell Mama but asks about looking for him. She finally tells and they hurry to his work. He lays brick to replace buildings destroyed during WWII. His boss told Mama the Stasi was waiting for him and took him to question him about Peter. Mama went to talk to Krause and Gerta realized the Stasi were in Fritz's room. She doesn't tell Mama, who is already very upset.

Fritz is home in the morning. Mama and Fritz talk way too happy. and shush Gerta. Fritz shows Gerta a paper he wrote and it says their apartment is bugged. She realizes that's how the Stasi knew about Peter. His family may be arrested too, and have to work especially hard now to prove their loyalty. On the way to school Fritz tells Gerta the Stasi have a large file on their dad, one on him, and her too. The file means Fritz is a threat, won't be allowed into university, won't get a good job, and will be forced to join the military, where he will be given the most dangerous jobs.

Anna's in school. She tells Gerta to go away. Kids whisper. Gerta threaten them. Gerta wonders what could be in her file. Anna says she has to be ashamed of Peter, as Gerta should be ashamed of her father. They should because the state says so. They can't be friends any more either. Gerta feels like a disease. Her father infected her and shoe can now infect others. Saw dad dancing and shoveling again. She turned away and went down a different road.

Gerta and Fritz walk to school together now. Anna still not talking to her. Fritz explains she can't. Gerta starts reading more but the library has only books gov't is okay with, half empty. Fritz moody and not same as before. Even his hair is different/more perfect. Going to movies/youth clubs. Is he still working? Mama doesn't know about files. She is happy Fritz is accepting life and Gerta is home safe reading. Krause is arrested and dragged from his apartment for making leaflets saying, "If I cannot speak what I think, then it's a crime just to be me!" Gerta saw one and had it when one of the Stasi smacked her. It was one of Fritz's childhood friends. It makes them both wonder how this happened to him and if it will happen to Fritz if he is forced to become one too.

They decide not to tell Mama about Krause or Gerta's smack. She hates Saturdays because the tourists on the west side go to Wall and stare at them, but do nothing. *She realizes with the influential people in Germany siding with Russia, the only one who can help her, is herself. She sees her dad on platform and makes an X in the dirt to ask where to dig for treasure. At school Anna is put in Gerta's study group. She slips Gerta a note. It's a drawing of the back of an old building. It came for Gerta in a sympathy card from Anna's family in West Berlin. Neither knows anything about it, and even though Gerta tells her she wants to be friends, Anna tells her if anything else comes, she'll tell on her.

Gerta brought a loaf of bread Mama made to school for Anna's family. Still being shamed for Peter that was all they could really do. Anna wasn't in school so she walked it to her house after school. She told Anna not to be ashamed of Peter, he just wanted freedom. Deep down, Anna seemed to know. But then she quoted propaganda and slammed the door. Gerta took a shortcut home and went down some old roads. She sees the old building from the picture Anna gave her. It was part of the Wall. There was a ditch and pond, weeds and a watchtower always filled by a Grenzers, but the tire tracks were old and to see her they'd need binoculars. She wants to come back with the shovel. (How is she going to get passed so many guards/police/people unnoticed with a shovel in her hand?)

Sunday Mama went to church, Fritz went out with friends, and Gerta went to the basement for their shovel. As soon as she left a neighbor (Frau Eberhart) asked where she was going with it and if her mother knew. She's a gossip and Stasi informants are paid. She said she was planting a garden for mom. Frau asked for some when it grows. At bldg., fresh tire marks. Gerta walked close to the wall (shadows and hard to see straight down). Slid into bldg. using ground floor window. All boarded but one is loose. She was scared but knew her dad wanted her to dig. Still thinks it's for treasure - gold r passports. Bricks covered all windows and doors upstairs that face the Death Strip to the west. There was an attic but she didn't go, afraid to be seen. She tried to dig but the shovel wouldn't go into the ground. Came to metal under thick dust, it's a door in the dirt. There's a metal ladder leading into a dark hole. It's an air-raid shelter from WWII. No flashlight, so didn't go inside it. She shut the door and scattered dirt to hide evidence she'd been there.

2 letters came. One from Mama's mom, she fell and broke her leg. Mama leaving to stay with her for a while and look for work there. The other reminded Fritz that in June he turns 18 and has to enlist in the military for 1.5 years. Remembering the place is bugged he tried to sound excited. Mama left early for work, Fritz and Gerta leaving for school. Truck pulls up in front of house and dumps Krause out into street. He told them he was wrong to print the messages. Neighbors and Fritz's girlfriend Claudia's family dumping them. They know about Fritz's arrest and was shown his file. Fritz says he tried to change some but feels he can't win. He tells Gerta this way of life and thinking is what waits for her too. Says it started 12 years ago when Papa participated in uprising. He thought he was fine because he wasn't arrested, but he wasn't, and now neither is his family. Fritz seems to have a secret.

Gerta went back to the bldg. Has a flashlight. Fresh tire marks again. Climbed into air raid shelter. There was a bench and crates on east side and pipes at far end for air. Her dad was her age during WWII. The walls are made of dirt. Mama said East Berliners didn't fight the Wall because so many believed it was God's punishment for Germany's crimes (pg. 104). Gerta feels the war was a crime of her grandparent's generation, not hers, so she shouldn't be punished. The dirt on the west side of the shelter wall fell easily. She decides Papa wants her to dig a tunnel.