Previous
Peter Neilsen
Though Lise is not physically present as a character in the novel, her emotional presence lingers on every page. Her loss in a seemingly random hit-and-run accident has dealt a severe blow to her family’s morale, and Annemarie, Kirsti, their parents, and Lise’s betrothed at the time of her death, Peter Neilsen, all mourn her each day. It is eventually revealed that Lise was, alongside Peter, a member of the Resistance, and died at the hands of Nazi soldiers determined to bring the faction down.
Lise Johansen Quotes in Number the Stars
The Number the Stars quotes below are all either spoken by Lise Johansen or refer to Lise Johansen. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 2 Quotes
Redheaded Peter, her sister’s fiancé, had not married anyone in the years since Lise’s death. He had changed a great deal. Once he had been like a fun-loving older brother to Annemarie and Kirsti, teasing and tickling, always a source of foolishness and pranks. Now he still stopped by the apartment often, and his greetings to the girls were warm and smiling, but he was usually in a hurry, talking quickly to Mama and Papa about things Annemarie didn’t understand. He no longer sang the nonsense songs that had once made Annemarie and Kirsti shriek with laughter. And he never lingered anymore.
Papa had changed, too. He seemed much older and very tired, defeated.
The whole world had changed. Only the fairy tales remained the same.
“And they lived happily ever after,” Annemarie recited, whispering into the dark, completing the tale for her sister, who slept beside her, one thumb in her mouth.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
This passage, in which Annemarie reflects on the ways in which her family has changed since the start of the Nazi occupation, shows just how heavily war is weighing not just on the Johansens and their extended family, but the whole of Copenhagen and even Europe. The world is different than it was when Annemarie was very small, and the only refuge she and her sister Kirsti have from the pain of their sister’s loss, the omnipresent threat of the Nazis stationed at every street corner, and the crushing anxiety of rationed food, heat, and electricity are the stories they Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
Chapter 17 Quotes
That night, Annemarie’s parents told her the truth about Lise’s death at the beginning of the war.
“She was part of the Resistance, too,” Papa had explained. “Part of the group that fought for our country in whatever ways they could.”
“We didn’t know,” Mama added. “She didn’t tell us. Peter told us after she died.”
“Oh, Papa!” Annemarie cried. “Mama!”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
For much of the novel, Annemarie has been locked in an ideological battle about the nature of bravery. She has had several discussions with her Uncle Henrik about whether it is easier for one to be brave when one doesn’t fully know or understand the details of what’s at risk. Annemarie has demanded to know the truth, though, at every turn during the complicated journey to get Ellen and the Rosens to freedom. In this passage, as Annemarie learns a truth her parents have held from her for a long time—that her sister Lise was in fact a member of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde eni
[Annemarie] turned and went to her bedroom, where the blue trunk still stood in the corner, as it had all these years. Opening it, Annemarie saw that the yellow dress had begun to fade; it was discolored at the edges where it had lain so long in folds.
Carefully she spread open the skirt of the dress and found the place where Ellen’s necklace lay hidden in the pocket. The little Star of David still gleamed gold.
“Papa?” she said, returning to the balcony, where her father was standing with the others, watching the rejoicing crowd. She opened her hand and showed him the necklace. “Can you fix this? I have kept it all this long time. It was Ellen’s.”
Her father took it from her and examined the broken clasp. “Yes,” he said. “I can fix it. When the Rosens come home, you can give it back to Ellen.”
“Until then,” Annemarie told him, “I will wear it myself.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
In the final lines of the novel, Annemarie, amidst the citywide celebrations of the end of the war, retreats into her family’s apartment to uncover something hidden away long ago. As she pulls Ellen’s Star of David necklace from the hiding place she selected for it, a profound and symbolic moment is captured. She has kept the necklace belonging to her “pretend” sister Ellen, for all these years, in the folds of her deceased sister Lise’s wedding dress. This moment shows that there are many different types of sisterhood—and not all sisters are connected by blood. As Annemarie asks her Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque er
Get the entire Number the Stars LitChart as a printable PDF.
"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
