Snow Treasure

In these chapters, tension rises steadily toward the moment of Peter’s capture, for even in the midst of the children’s success, apprehension and fear hold sway amongst the adults overseeing their progress. As the pile of unhidden gold shrinks encouragingly, the stark contrast between the children’s crowing, celebratory declaration of “The snow’s holding and we’ve done it!” (117) is juxtaposed with Per Garson’s scolding admonition of “You’ve not done it yet” (117). The children’s youthful glee is characterized as naive; the exchange raises the worry that the children are tempting fate. The wise old Norwegian’s council seems foreboding at best, and the growing risk of discovery is foreshadowed in this exchange. Thus, McSwigan uses the children’s premature celebration and the adults’ pessimism to emphasize that because the endeavor is not yet complete, new dangers will soon arise. Also, because everything has gone relatively smoothly so far, the very nature of standard plot structure implies that a critical crisis must be overcome before the novel’s action can wane; simply put, the protagonists have not yet earned their denouement.

Tension rises further when the Commandant, who is characterized as imposing and terrifying, stands over Lovisa at the Snake fiord beach, screaming, “Little girl, tell me, did you or did you not see a German infantryman?” (140). The terror of the situation is increased by the Commandant’s unrestrained fury, which is rendered all the more excessive and unbalanced given that it is directed at a mere child; such extreme behavior intensifies the Commandant’s dangerous nature and implies that if he is willing to treat a child so poorly, then he might also do far worse if given the chance. The threat of physical violence becomes even more prominent as he proceeds to behead the snowman and smash its remnants into oblivion, and it is clear that the snowman is merely serving as a proxy to receive the violence that he would dearly love to inflict directly upon the children themselves. Tension rises further as his destructive acts bring him nearer and nearer to the gold hidden beneath the snowman. As the narration states, “With each kick, Peter winced. For the Commandant’s foot could only be a few inches from [Lovisa’s] two bricks” (142). The chaotic scene is designed to heighten suspense and fear that the entire scheme is seconds away from being discovered, and the Commandant’s violent tantrum thus necessitates Peter’s drastic action of overt rebellion.

When Peter hits the Commandant in the face with the snowball, the theme of Bravery in the Face of Danger comes once again to the fore. Peter’s action, while calculated to distract the Commandant from finding the gold, also has a purer, more basic motivation, for he is acting to save his sister, Lovisa, from the Commandant’s terrifying and threatening behavior. Peter continues to show bravery in the chase through the woods, his subsequent imprisonment, and his escape. The threat of death is alluded to in Peter’s reflections in his cell, as he worriedly wonders, “Would even the Germans put a boy to death? […] From the stories of what they did in Poland, he could believe almost anything” (146). The illustration in Chapter 28 also emphasizes the relative powerlessness of Peter compared to the adult soldiers, whose larger and more powerful bodies, uniforms, and weapons are juxtaposed against the boy dressed in civilian clothes. Furthermore, the illustration depicts three soldiers against only one boy, further emphasizing the powerlessness of Peter in this situation.

These chapters also strengthen the theme of Ingenuity and Resistance; Peter uses ingenuity to outsmart the Commandant and is not afraid to show his resistance to the man’s actions despite the impossible imbalance in power with which he is faced. Like his uncle Victor, Peter demonstrates ingenuity and quick thinking to protect both his family and the country of Norway against further injustices. McSwigan thus celebrates the power of children to act with courage and to create change despite the enormity of the circumstances in which they find themselves. Throughout the novel, children and childish objects like sleds, snowmen, and snowballs prove to be pivotal tools in the gold-smuggling scheme, an operation that ultimately safeguards millions of kroner for the good of the country. At the beginning of the novel, snowballs, snowmen, and sleds are associated with carefree childhood play; at the end of the novel, these symbols of childhood play have become symbols of ingenuity and resistance that are leveraged against the occupying Nazis in a high-stakes situation. McSwigan’s message to her audience of young readers is that even those who are often underestimated, like children, are capable of great bravery and can enact significant positive change.

The theme of Environment as Ally also takes a central role in this scene, for an aspect of the landscape itself literally becomes Peter’s weapon against the Germans; even if the weapon is just a snowball, Peter’s years of playing with the other Norwegian children in the snow means that his aim is particularly accurate, and the snowball’s collision with the Commandant’s face is thus particularly satisfying even though it leads to a world of trouble for the boy. This scene also draws direct comparisons to the children’s lighthearted snowball fight early in the novel, for although identical skills are used in this situation, this much more dangerous “game” at the Snake fiord has higher consequences. In a continuation of this environment-oriented theme, Peter’s knowledge of the woods around Riswyk almost allows him to outrun the group of German soldiers chasing him, and he is able to evade the soldiers for a time and lead them away from the gold bars. Once again, the Norwegian landscape is characterized as an ally to the locals and an antagonist to the invading Germans.

In terms of the fate of Peter, the protagonist, the novel reaches a satisfying conclusion that emphasizes Peter’s wishes to travel and be adventurous like Victor; thus, the boy is rewarded for his bravery as the president of the Defense Club, and because of his courage and resourcefulness, he now sets off on an even greater adventure. McSwigan characterizes his excitement perfectly, describing Peter sitting aboard the Cleng Peerson and thinking to himself, “Ahead lay America” (152). The boy’s eagerness for the journey also highlights the romanticized notion of the American Dream: the idea that America is a place of equal opportunity that will bring prosperity and happiness to all comers. In support of this idea, Peter’s excited imaginings of his life in the United States present the country as being the epitome of freedom and opportunity: a safe place to house Norwegian wealth and a safe and exciting place to live. Peter is not the only one to indulge in such optimism, for his mother also wants him to grow up “in a country where people are free” (155). The novel closes on Jan Lasek playing the horn and practicing “The Star Spangled Banner,” bringing to mind a stylized version of America’s image as the “land of the free and the home of the brave” (“Complete Version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ […].” Smithsonian Institute).

The conclusion of the novel also grants Jan a sense of poetic justice, for although his family was either killed or forced into concentration camps, Jan’s ability to outsmart the Nazi guards and free Peter is an act of satisfying revenge against the army who robbed Jan of his family, his life, his home, and his freedom. Furthermore, in return for bravely freeing Peter, Jan achieves his dream of going to America, a dream that was originally denied to him by Nazi soldiers who arrested him and stole his identity papers and ticket.