The German Wife

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and religious discrimination.

After two years, Lizzie has fought for and received a job at the hotel. She and Henry live together in the boarding house, but when Henry can’t find a job, his mood dips severely, and she gets a night shift to make it possible to move into a private apartment. Lizzie meets Calvin in the hotel restaurant where she waits tables. One night, he asks her to join him to keep him company, and because the restaurant is slow, she agrees. She tells him about her family’s farm and shares her worries about Henry. That night, Henry admits that he’s taken money for bills and used it for alcohol. She forgives him, insisting that they’re a team and can make it through anything, but she’s still terrified.

Lizzie sees Calvin again a few more times, and one night, she explains how worried she is for Henry and how she knows that her supporting him is demoralizing for him. Calvin says that he can help get Henry into the Army, but Lizzie is initially unsure. That night, when she goes home, she finds Henry unwashed and hopeless and tells him to enlist.