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Number the Stars Chapter 10 Summary Let Us Open the Casket, Study notes of English Literature

Henrik heads out, but everyone else is quiet and subdued. Annemarie stays up even though she doesn't have to, and they all wait quietly. She and Ellen are ...

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Number the Stars Chapter 10 Summary
Let Us Open the Casket
Henrik heads out, but everyone else is quiet and subdued.
Annemarie stays up even though she doesn't have to, and they all wait quietly. She
and Ellen are exhausted.
The group is interrupted by the arrival of Nazi soldiers. They saw that the lights
were on and too many people were in the house, which made them suspicious. Not
good.
Mrs. Johansen explains that they're having a pre-funeral gathering—there's nothing
wrong with that.
Man, the soldiers are scary.
One of them makes Annemarie say who's in the casket. She knows what to do: she
says Birte.
The officer asks why the coffin isn't open, and Mrs. Johansen lies and says that it's
because Birte had typhus and so she's full of germs.
The officer hits Mrs. Johansen on the face, tells everyone they should "open it after
[they] leave" (10.27), and then takes off with the rest of the soldiers. (Take a sec and
think about how terrible that scene was.)
Everyone's stunned, but they have to act normal so they don't draw any further
attention to themselves.
To buy some time, Peter reads from the Bible—pretty common at a funeral. In
particular, he reads the psalm that talks about numbering the stars. (Sound familiar?
Yeah, that's where the title of the book comes from.)
The reading really makes Annemarie think. She worries that "[t]he
whole worldwas too cold, too big. And too cruel" (10.38).
Peter reads aloud for a long time, and then finally goes to reveal what's in the
coffin.
Cliffhanger!
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Let Us Open the Casket

  • Henrik heads out, but everyone else is quiet and subdued.
  • Annemarie stays up even though she doesn't have to, and they all wait quietly. She and Ellen are exhausted.
  • The group is interrupted by the arrival of Nazi soldiers. They saw that the lights were on and too many people were in the house, which made them suspicious. Not good.
  • Mrs. Johansen explains that they're having a pre-funeral gathering—there's nothing wrong with that.
  • Man, the soldiers are scary.
  • One of them makes Annemarie say who's in the casket. She knows what to do: she says Birte.
  • The officer asks why the coffin isn't open, and Mrs. Johansen lies and says that it's because Birte had typhus and so she's full of germs.
  • The officer hits Mrs. Johansen on the face, tells everyone they should "open it after [they] leave" (10.27), and then takes off with the rest of the soldiers. (Take a sec and think about how terrible that scene was.)
  • Everyone's stunned, but they have to act normal so they don't draw any further attention to themselves.
  • To buy some time, Peter reads from the Bible—pretty common at a funeral. In particular, he reads the psalm that talks about numbering the stars. (Sound familiar? Yeah, that's where the title of the book comes from.)
  • The reading really makes Annemarie think. She worries that "[t]he whole world was too cold, too big. And too cruel" (10.38).
  • Peter reads aloud for a long time, and then finally goes to reveal what's in the coffin.
  • Cliffhanger!

Will We See You Again Soon, Peter?

  • Annemarie and Ellen are surprised to discover that the coffin holds clothes and linens, not a person. But the adults seem to have expected this. (Adults always seem to know what's up, don't they?)
  • Peter takes charge and hands out all the clothes, giving some to each visitor. The clothes are mismatched—definitely not what you'd call high fashion—but no one seems to care. We get why.
  • Mrs. Johansen brings out a sweater (one that Kirsti really loves) for the baby, Rachel. Peter also insists that the baby take some sort of drug so she stays asleep. Rachel's mom protests, but she's overruled.
  • Peter also deals out the linens until the coffin is empty, and Mrs. Johansen give everyone some snacks.
  • Then Annemarie eavesdrops on a secret conversation between Peter and Mrs. Johansen. Here's what goes down: Peter hands Ellen's father a small object and gives him the task of taking it to Henrik. He says it's absolutely vital that it get to him. Ellen's father takes it, no questions.
  • Peter, still taking charge, splits the group into two. He says he will take first three people to wherever Henrik is, and that Mrs. Johansen will follow with the Rosens after waiting a while.
  • Peter then says goodbye to Annemarie—the parting seems extra meaningful somehow.
  • And with that, Peter and the three visitors leave. The others stay behind.
  • Everyone is on edge, and for good reason. When there's a noise, Mrs. Johansen goes to investigate, and luckily comes back to say it's no big deal.
  • Annemarie thinks about how the Rosens' status in the world has changed, and yet their personalities—who they are—have remained totally the same. True that.
  • She also figures out what's about to happen to the people her family is helping: they are fleeing the country for Sweden, and Henrik is getting them there.

Run! As Fast As You Can!

  • Annemarie goes right over to her mom. She's really worried, but her mother reassures her that everything went fine. Ellen and her parents got to the boat with no problems. Whew.
  • Mrs. Johansen wasted no time getting out of there, but she was going too fast and fell. She hurt herself pretty badly and it took forever to crawl home.
  • Mrs. Johansen asks Annemarie to help her, and they pause in front of the house to rest. That's when Annemarie sees something in the yard: it's the little package that Mr. Rosen was supposed to take to Henrik.
  • Uh oh.
  • Mrs. Johansen is horrified that it wasn't delivered. She's incredibly upset, but she can't do anything about it because she's in such pain.
  • Even though she doesn't know the specifics, Annemarie knows that the package is super-important and that it absolutely has to go to Henrik. She says she'll deliver it immediately.
  • We told you she was brave.
  • Mrs. Johansen gives her instructions: she should hide it in a food basket, try to avoid people, and go as quickly as she can to Henrik. Annemarie is supposed to act completely innocent (and even a little dumb) if anyone catches her.
  • They embrace, and Annemarie is off.