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Resistance Women


An enthralling saga, inspired by real events, that recreates the danger and ...
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Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

Created: 02/27/20

Replies: 17

Posted Feb. 27, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
davinamw

Join Date: 10/15/10

Posts: 3442

Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

When Dieter helps Sara join her parents in Switzerland, Greta is of the opinion that he does so less out of disloyalty to the Reich and more because he loved Sara and feels sorry about the dissolution of their relationship. Do you agree with Greta’s assessment? Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?


Posted Feb. 28, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
PinkLady

Join Date: 01/22/18

Posts: 187

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think Dieter is good at heart, but weak and that joining the Nazi party was for self-preservation. I didn't see him as sinister.


Posted Feb. 28, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
carolynd

Join Date: 05/16/11

Posts: 35

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think Dieter was one of the many that went along with the Nazis. This is understandable because not being with the program was definitely not a wise course. So many Germans just went along and stayed under the radar so his behavior was not unusual. The only real spine he showed was not giving up a relationship with a Jew until Sara broke it off. I think saving her was sentimental.


Posted Feb. 28, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Marcia S

Join Date: 02/08/16

Posts: 505

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think Dieter was good at heart and that he really had loved Sara. He saved her, so he did still care. Also, he always carried the ring with him and wanted her to use it for her benefit. As for Dieter falling in with the Nazi's— the propaganda was so great, and the threat of not being part of the regime so real, that many went along. It was a national brain-washing.


Posted Feb. 29, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
catherynez

Join Date: 01/27/18

Posts: 98

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think he was good at heart. He loved Sara and just wanted to stay under the radar and not rock the boat or get hurt. Unfortunately, a lot of the Germans were that way because the risk was high to go against the Germans.


Posted Feb. 29, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
MarieA

Join Date: 10/12/11

Posts: 256

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think Dieter was torn between what he knew was right and what he had to do for his own self preservation. His choices, I believe, left him with a heavy heart. He loved Sara but their relationship was doomed because she was a Jew--the least he could do was to save her life if he could. Sinister--absolutely not.


Posted Feb. 29, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
Maggie

Join Date: 01/01/16

Posts: 434

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think Dieter is good at heart. He loved Sara and wanted to marry her even though she was Jewish and that eventually could have been a problem. He certainly saved her by reuniting her with her family.


Posted Mar. 01, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
terriej

Join Date: 07/28/11

Posts: 422

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think he was good at heart. He had to do what he did to survive.


Posted Mar. 01, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
paulagb

Join Date: 08/16/17

Posts: 173

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I don’t believe you should get the accolade of being good at heart when you are weak, and always willing to go along with evil. He didn’t even seem to acknowledge that the Nazi’s and by extension Germany was evil. His refusal to take a stand is more threatening and sinister than any other character in the book. Had Hitler succeeded in his effort to make a thousand year Reich, Dieter would have been perfectly happy. Dieter does not get a pass or understanding, he does not earn it or deserve it.


Posted Mar. 02, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
elisabethc

Join Date: 07/16/19

Posts: 42

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think that Dieter is an important character because he's an example of what it often looks like to fall on the wrong side of an issue through passivity. We're all liable to freeze up under pressure to an extent, and a willingness to grapple with our imperfections and still try to do better in small ways can make a real difference in situations where others need help. But Dieter seems to actually willingly give himself to the path of least resistance, and I think that does come with sinister and chilling implications. That being said, at the time the book leaves him it's certainly not too late for him to reflect on his actions and become more self-aware.


Posted Mar. 02, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
melindah

Join Date: 12/25/12

Posts: 52

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I would say Dieter is a go along to get along kind of person. It is not a personality trait I see as generally good hearted. It is not far from an opportunist - he is going along to save his own tail. Although, I can recognize that there are times and situations in one's life where this trait might be necessary, I have very little regard for it in these terms.


Posted Mar. 02, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
judithc

Join Date: 02/28/20

Posts: 31

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I don’t think he was sinister but took the easy road in wearing the Natzi pin. He did seem to love Sara but a little on the weak side. In my opinion she was better off without him


Posted Mar. 02, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
thereser

Join Date: 01/25/20

Posts: 13

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

The part of Dieter's heart that still loved Sara prevailed over his self-interested decision to sport a Nazi insignia on his coat. It must be underlined that wearing a pin does not automatically signify that the wearer fully endorses Nazi ideology. Yes, I would say that Dieter had a good heart when it counted, in order to save Sara's life.


Posted Mar. 02, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
janeto

Join Date: 06/05/18

Posts: 41

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

Unlike the other characters in the book, Sara and Dieter are the author's creation and therefore their development is not as complete or complex. In many ways they are stereotypes of people living in Nazi Germany. Dieter represents many young German men who joined the Nazi party out of convenience and partial conviction and become swept up in the movement. The author depicts him as an ambitious man but we always see him from a distance so cannot know what is really going on with him. Perhaps we gain the most insight from being introduced to his mother who had very strong feelings about Jews and German culture. I do not doubt that he loved Sara and was surprised and hurt by her inability to understand his decisions.


Posted Mar. 11, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
GrandmaMary

Join Date: 04/21/15

Posts: 14

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I don't think Dieter was sinister and in helping Sara escape he showed his better side. Looking at the situation from the perspective of the 21st century when we know how bad Hitler and the Nazi's were, it is hard to fairly judge a young man who went along with the party to get ahead.


Posted Mar. 17, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
dianaps

Join Date: 05/29/15

Posts: 460

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

Dieter, bless his heart, did what he had to do. He never forgot Sara and he was there when she needed him the most.


Posted Mar. 19, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
cathyoc

Join Date: 04/26/17

Posts: 247

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I did not see Dieter as a sinister character. Like many German citizens, he felt the only way to survive was to join the German army and follow orders. He loved Sara and proved his love by the risks he took for her.


Posted Mar. 21, 2020 Go to Top | Go to bottom | link | alert
charleneds

Join Date: 03/21/17

Posts: 68

RE: Would you say that Dieter is good at heart, or that his choice to fall in line with the Nazis reveals something sinister about who he really is as a person?

I think Dieter was a simple man who wanted to survive and went along because he felt he had to. He didn't have the strength of character to stand up to the Nazis nor did he have the courage to be a resistence fighter.


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