Four Perfect Pebbles

Before explaining the beginning of the Blumenthals’ time in camps and the rise of Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Marion describes the most harrowing part of the Holocaust from her own perspective. This nonlinear storytelling choice immediately immerses the reader in the horror of Bergen-Belsen before stepping back to provide historical and personal context. She uses pathos, an appeal to emotion, to create an image of horror, depicting herself as a five-year-old child waking every day to the sounds and smells of death. Marion also makes clear that “this is the story of a family” (ix); it is not merely a story “about the Holocaust” but rather about the Blumenthals’ direct, lived experiences during these years. It is a memoir about Family as the Foundation for Survival—the “inner strength and enduring spirit of this family” (xi), and Marion makes clear in this opening section just how much she relied on her family to survive it. Like many children her age, Marion felt safest in her mother’s arms, and this safety was the one source of comfort and relief from the endless abuse, hunger, and boredom that Marion endured. 

In the first chapters, Marion mentions most of the major events that she and her mother recall from this time, explaining their background and circumstances in more detail in later chapters. By structuring the memoir this way, she mirrors the way traumatic memories often surface—through fragments and recurring images rather than a straightforward chronological account. In her dedication, Marion writes, “Out of darkness can come light,” indicating that this is also a story of Hope and Resilience in the Face of Adversity, and a testament to Marion’s ability to turn the most horrific events of her life into a tool for positive change.

Alongside the emotional aspect of this retelling, Marion interlaces the histories of the war, the Holocaust, and the Nazis’ rise to power. In doing so, she utilizes logos, an appeal to logic and reason, alongside pathos to create a well-rounded narrative that showcases the theme of Surviving in a World of Prejudice through both psychological and factual perspectives. Marion knows what questions are typically asked of the Holocaust, such as how the Nazis were allowed to commit their crimes, or why Jewish people remained in Germany after Nazi restrictions. She answers these questions both logically and from the perspective of her own family. Marion explains how the Nazis took advantage of an economically damaged Germany and conditioned people to blame specific groups, like Jews. Her explanation highlights how prejudice does not emerge overnight but is systematically cultivated through fear, misinformation, and propaganda. This process took years, and a mixture of optimism and denial led many people to hope it would end.

Before returning to the beginning, Marion also explains her four perfect pebbles and their purpose. Upon arriving at Bergen-Belsen, Marion’s hope dwindled as she saw constant death around her. She maintained a belief that her family would survive if she found a perfect pebble for each of them, filling her days with this task. The pebbles “gave her a purpose” (8) in a place where there was little to hang onto but her loved ones, and having this purpose is what kept Marion going. This belief is an example of magical thinking, a psychological coping mechanism often found in trauma survivors. By attaching hope to a ritual—finding four identical pebbles—Marion was able to exert a sense of control in a situation where she otherwise had none. 

Marion believes that she always had a stubborn and indomitable spirit, but her time in the camps reinforced and exaggerated this part of her. Her survival strategy was deeply personal but also deeply human, reflecting how individuals find ways to persist even in unimaginable circumstances. Since Marion was a young child when these experiences took place, her memoir is told with the help of her mother Ruth’s memories. Some moments are retold through the more innocent lens of the child’s eye, while others are told through Ruth’s worried perspective. This dual perspective enhances the memoir’s emotional depth, allowing readers to experience both the bewilderment of a child trying to make sense of her world and the sobering reality of a mother who fully understands the danger they face.