Lieutenant Rahms Character Analysis in The Hiding Place

A German officer who questions Corrie about her alleged underground work during her imprisonment in Scheveningen. Corrie quickly establishes a rapport with the lieutenant, who is disillusioned with his work as a Nazi occupier and constantly worried about his family in Germany. However, he's also truly committed to certain repugnant Nazi principles, like the idea that mentally disabled people are inherently worthless. Corrie tries to shift his thinking by speaking to him of the Bible, and while he seems to be compelled by her arguments it's never clear if he ever changes his mind.

Lieutenant Rahms Quotes in The Hiding Place

The The Hiding Place quotes below are all either spoken by Lieutenant Rahms or refer to Lieutenant Rahms. 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:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Chosen Books edition of The Hiding Place published in 1974.

In the Bible I learned that God values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us. Who knows, in His eyes a half-wit may be worth more than a watchmaker. Or—a lieutenant.

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Page Number and Citation: 173

Explanation and Analysis:

Lieutenant Rahms Character Timeline in The Hiding Place

The timeline below shows where the character Lieutenant Rahms appears in The Hiding Place. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...a cheerful cottage with a warm fire, where a German officer introduces himself courteously as Lieutenant Rahms and settles her by the fire. He tells her that he can help her,... (full context)

When the Lieutenant asks about Corrie’s “other activities,” meaning hiding Jews, she feigns ignorance and embarks on a... (full context)

Carefully, Corrie explains to Lieutenant Rahms that God cares about people “simply because he has made us,” not because of... (full context)

However, in the morning Lieutenant Rahms himself comes to Corrie’s cell and brings her to his office. He asks her... (full context)

For two more days Corrie meets with the Lieutenant, who mostly wants to hear about her childhood and religious faith. Corrie asks him to... (full context)

At their last meeting, the Lieutenant asks Corrie to explain the divine meaning of suffering. He asks her what kind of... (full context)

Weeks later, Lieutenant Rahms organizes a brief family reunion at the prison—the pretext is the official reading of... (full context)

After some minutes, the Lieutenant curtails the reunion. Before leaving, Willem leads the group in prayer, thanking God for bringing... (full context)