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The Role Of Companionship In Louis Lowry's 'Number The Stars'

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The Role Of Companionship In Louis Lowry's 'Number The Stars'
Companionship Can Change a Life Louis Lowry skillfully captures a time where food shortages were a given, fear was ever present, riots were synonymous with regular life, and death eminent in her historical drama Number the Stars, which emphasizes how a devoted friend can change the life of another.Lowry elaborates on the lengths friends go to protect one another by engaging the reader with Annemarie’s thoughts,pathos expressed through the character emotions, symbolism of Ellen’s necklace and growing trust between companions.The author’s purpose is to describe how the risks and a sacrifices a friend will make in order to save someone she loves. The writer entertains her audience of young readers interested in the holocaust by using an emotional …show more content…
In Ellen’s case, her obliviousness about the coffin saved her when the soldiers confronted the Johansen's about the fake funeral, Annemarie put Ellen’s safety above the needs of her curiosity to do make a decisions. In terms of friendship, selfless decisions like these allowed Annemarie and Ellen to be dependable on each other, the theme also built off off the large amount of trust Ellen had on the Johansen’s to help her. Moreover in Steinback’s novel the brother both Lennie and George had a strong companionship of years, yet when Lennie was giving himself a death sentence George had to put him out of his misery in the best way possible, by killing him himself as they talked about fantasies, after Lennie is gone, Slim a friend tells George, ""You had, George. I swear you hadda” (Steinback, 1993, p. 110). Lennie would have caused more disruption and George - like Annemarie- sacrificed his dream ranch with Lennie to put him out of his misery of life where there was always a manhunt after him.Yet a difference between the two theme novels is the components that built the companionship, in Number the Stars Ellen was comfortable staying at the Johansen's as she trusted them and their judgment; in contrast, in Of Mice and Men George couldn’t trust Lennie or his judgment, as Lennie killed everything he touched and never realized his mistake. Another example of trust is when Annemarie never doubted Ellen’s promise, “I’ll be back some day , I promise” ( Lowry, 1989,p.96). The theme is strongly displayed in this as the their

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