Friendship is more than just a social thing that people do, it is part of what God created us and us to be ordered to be; 1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another.” Even Emily Dickenson, known for being a recluse, had a few close friends whom she contacted by mail. However, very few people would think of a young Jewish girl befriending a German and African American maid, especially in the 1940s during World War II. The Germans were known at this time for supporting anti-Semitism and intimate interactions between Jews and Jews. of the Reich were prohibited; “Marriages between Jews and subjects of German or related blood are prohibited... Extramarital relations are prohibited between Jews and subjects of German or related blood.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay When it came to friendship between a white man and a black man in America in the 1940s, there were no laws against it, but there were some people who would disapprove of it. But that's exactly what happened in Bette Greene's Summer of My German Soldier. Young Patricia (Patty) Bergen's one and only friend seemed to be her housekeeper Ruth, a middle-aged African-American woman who looked after Patty and her little sister Sharon during the day. Until one summer she met a German prisoner of war, Anton Reiker, where he, along with other prisoners of war and guards, came to her parents' store one day to buy hats for protection of the Arkansas sun. They become fast friends when Patty helps him buy stationery and a small brooch before Anton and the other prisoners are escorted away (Greene 42). A German "Nazi", a Jewish girl and a maid become friends in the middle of a war between the Third Reich and an America separated by skin color since the end of the Civil War. Friendship can be seen throughout Summer of My German Soldier, but the best picture of it comes in chapters eleven and twelve where Patty is able to bring her two best friends together. Anton was now hiding above Patty's garage where their friendship grew so much that they began to care for each other as more than friends. Anton even tried to save Patty from her father's beatings; “As the belt pulled back, I saw Anton, with his fists raised, running toward my father’s unsuspecting back” (124). This is where Anton and Patty's friendship becomes more than just friends. Anton was willing to risk his own freedom for Patty's safety until Patty showed how much she cared for him and discouraged him from saving her; " No ! … Go away! Go away!" (124). She was more concerned about Anton getting caught than being saved from another unwarranted beating by his father's belt. Ruth, unlike the Patty's parents, saw Anton running to try to save Patty and confronted her about it the next day "This man ran out of hiding because he couldn't bear your pain... This man listens to her. love of his heart” (130). Ruth and Anton have something in common; Patty is an important person to them both, Patty is a young girl who is often criticized by her mother because of her appearance and beaten by. her father because she made him the least bit angry Anton, however, sees Patty as someone he loves and cares about, as evidenced by his attempt to save her from his father and, later. in the story, a kiss as he says goodbye to her.