What do you feel motivates Hilde to seek status within the Reich? What do you think she wants out of life?

As Hilde tries to impress Nazi officials, she represses her conscience to say the right things. What do you feel motivates her to seek status within the Reich? What do you think Hilde wants out of life?

Hilde was all about Hilde, for status and for someone to take care of her. But I think that was motivated by always striving to please her parents. She felt her mother was always disappointed in her, mostly because of Hilde's failure to secure a suitor, and her father acted as if she was invisible.

Hilde was an insecure person who had always felt rejected, even by her parents. She yearned for approval and a place in life. She saw Werner and serving the Reich as a way to gain status— to finally be someone. In many ways I felt sorry for her.

Hilde was an unlikable character (although necessary for the book). She wanted desperately to please her parents and "become" someone special. The best way to do that was to support the Reich and climb the ladder as best she could; stepping on everyone in her way.

I think Hilde had something to prove to her parents. She felt that everything she did disappointed her mother and that she was invisible to her father. She wanted their attention and approval. And she had something to prove to the opposite sex, who also seemed to find her invisible. I believe Hilde is most concerned with security.

I think Hilde wanted to feel appreciated and needed. I also think she wanted to have nice things.

Hilde didn’t feel particularly loved by her family; they were in mourning for her sister who had died, so Hilde was desperately trying to bring attention to herself. I don’t think, from the descriptions of her, that she was as physically attractive as some of the other girls, like Gundi, but she figured out that she could use sex to climb the ladder, achieve status, and possibly feel loved.

In the Reich, Hilde thought she'd found a way to be wanted and loved, something she didn't feel from her natal family.

I think that Hilde had a goal of proving her worth to her parents plus I think she was looking for an easier life than her mother had and knew she could attain that life by being the wife of a high ranking Nazi officer.

Hilde wanted to prove her self worth to her parents. She used any oppertunist tactics to get attention and elevate herself.

Hilde was the child of German Nazi patriots. She desperately wanted to fit in
but was not as beautiful as her sister or her friends. Her father ignored her and her mother pressured her into accepting the role of becoming an asset for the family to rise in the eyes of the Nazi party. Hilde wanted to be an actress and felt she could achieve that sort of status and wealth by giving birth to the child of a high ranking Nazi officer. She was immature and naive, used by everyone in her life, with no idea how little security her choices would provide in her life. She was not a lovable character but necessary to the unfolding of the story.

I feel Hilde wanted a life of leisure and status and was willing to do anything to achieve that goal. Her behavior was self-centered and prideful using her body as her weapon of choice. She was young with little guidance living in a corrupt Nazi culture which she, like many other Germans, was unable or unwilling to resist.

I think she was desperate for approval, her family didn't think much of her.

I think Hilde, at her base, just wants to be loved. She wants to be loved by her parents, by Ziegler, by Max, by a baby, by herself. Whether she always realized it or not, I believe it was subconscious, but I don't know if she will ever be satisfied or if she will find happiness. It's sad to be rejected by your parents and it makes it hard to accept yourself.

Hilde was never satisfied, not with herself, not with her parents, not with her prospects, not even what she thought was her dream job. She was continually striving to be better than her siblings, parents and peers. She became increasingly rash, impulsive, egotistical, and generally a vile person.

Hilde's insecurities with her family, her looks etc. propelled her to seek approval just in the wrong place and with the wrong people. I dont think Hilde was genuinely a bad person, I just think she was easily influenced and liked the feeling of being seen as important.

Hilde always wanted to be seen and admired and loved. She was very insecure so she was easily duped by Herr Ziegler who was obviously just using her for sex. She had no experience with men and interpreted Ziegler’s every word and action to be proving two things; that he was an extremely important man, and that he loved and admired her. So she was willing to ignore all the slights and hurts of their relationship.

I agree with the majority of others on this one. Hilde felt underappreciated and unloved and was ignored by her family members. She desperately wanted to feel important and loved. She was convinced Werner loved her but was naive as to her true position in Werner's life.
Hilde also wanted to survive and felt Werner and the Lebensborn was the way to accomplish this.

I think she was looking for a way out of her parent’s house, mainly. I feel like she thought she always deserved more and better than what she had and was willing to do whatever it took, regardless of how it affected others, to get it.

Hilde struck me as a character who would have been considered a perfect target for any cult. Looking for acceptance and status (especially at her age), blind acceptance of propaganda...the list goes on and on. It was not surprising to rad in the author's note that she was the most difficult character to develop.