the town to regard her as "uppity".  The racism with which Ruth must constantly contend is illustrated when Mrs. Benn complains to Mrs. Bergen about her "Nigra".  Mrs. Benn says that Ruth had seen Mrs. Benn at the market and raced to the counter to get the last two pounds of hamberger.  Mrs. Benn, who expects blacks to be subservient to her and recognized her own perceived superiority, is appalled at Ruth's audacity, and wants Mrs. Bergen to fire her.  Mrs. Bergen's response shows her own racist orientation, when she replies,

"I just can't fire Ruth...she's the best cook and house cleaner we've ever had".

Black people are not the only of victims of racism in the town.  Mr. Lee, a Chinese grocery store owner, disappears after being the object of a hate crime.  His store is vandalized, a heavy item thrown through the window in the night, and Mr. J.G. Jackson gloats to Mr. Bergen,

"Our boys at Pearl Harbor would have got a lot of laugts at the farewell party we gave the Chink" (Chapter 1).

Racism is often the result when, during war, anger towards the enemy translates into hatred for the enemy's race in general.  Mr. Bergen evidences this when he says,

"Every German oughta be taken out and tortured to death" (Chapter 3).

Aside from the obvious prejudice that exists between the residents of Jenkinsville, Arkansas and the German prisoners of war who are interned there, Patty Bergen and her family are subject to scrutiny since they are the only Jewish family in the small Southern town. The nearest synagogue is located in Memphis, and the family finds that they are often outcast from various social functions. Another example can be found in the treatment that the one Chinese family in Jenkinsville endures. Chu Lee has been forced to close his business shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Although Mr. Lee is Chinese--and an enemy of the Japanese--his Asian heritage is considered a threat to the town. His store windows are broken one night, and Lee and his family hastily depart for safer territory. Patty doesn't recognize the reasons for their leaving or for the broken windows, but she has overheard one man telling her father that

"Our boys at Pearl Harbor would have got a lot of laughs at the farewell party we gave the Chink."

Prejudice is a significant theme in Summer of My German Soldier.  It is displayed in a variety of contexts.  One way it can be seen is through the lens of race.  Racial prejudice is important to the thematic development of the narrative.  One layer is evident in the Southern setting where Patty lives.  Ruth is treated as a "second class citizen" because she is African- American.  In this light, racial prejudice exposes itself, relegating people to subservient roles, and taking advantage of them without any recourse.  The prejudice that Ruth must confront is seen in the part of town in which she lives and the daily reminder that segregation is the way of Southern life. Another layer of racial prejudice is amongst the townspeople's attitudes towards Germans.  This extends into Patty's family.  Anton is perceived to be the stereotypical Nazi.  Even though Anton is not anywhere near the savage cruelty of the Nazis, prejudice has judged him amongst the towns people to be a Nazi and to embody all the negative tenets of that stereotype.  In both of these cases, racial prejudice dominates much of the novel and forms the thematic backdrop for Patty's evolution in character for she sees how Ruth is despised because she is African- American, while Anton for him being German.

Prejudice also takes form on an interpersonal level.  Patty experiences this in how she is perceived.  She is always viewed as secondary to Sharon.  This prejudice exists in her family and amongst the townspeople.  The prejudicial attitudes cast against Patty are primarily because she is different and does not adhere to the social expectations around her.  Patty believes that such prejudice directed against her is because she is "living with a disadvantage."  She is "plain" and cerebral in terms of how she approaches literature and writing.  She is far from the Shirley Temple aesthetic and Sharon has achieved.  The town considers Sharon to be superior to Patty because she embodies more of what the social configuration validates.  At the same time, Patty experiences prejudice from the domestic realm, as her parents favor Sharon and denigrate Patty.  The attraction to Anton was because he validated her voice apart from prejudicial attitudes, something that was not evident in the world that surrounds Patty.

I think that one can also find economic prejudice in the novel.  Patty's father is insecure, a condition exacerbated by economic reality.  His desire to make money prejudices him against everyone else and stand firm against those who are poor.  Harry Bergen's prejudice is on display when he abuses and reprimands Patty for befriending Freddy Dowd.  Freddy is poor and because of this, one sees Harry's economic prejudice on display.  Economic prejudice is reflective of an exclusionary attitude that is present in the town.  It is the same prejudice that enables Edna to go to Baptist camp, something that Patty's mother forbids on religious grounds, but also on economic ones.  Economic prejudice, similar to the condition of racial and subjective expressions, helps to define individual identity.