Lines of Courage

Sergeant Baum’s Golden Cross of Merit is one of the most significant pieces of symbolism in Lines of Courage. The object first appears in the story when Sergeant Baum shows it to his son, Felix:

In his hand was an old medal. It had a red cross set on a round gold background, hung from a bright red triangular cloth with a pin on the back. One edge of the cloth was torn, but otherwise it was still in perfect condition (24).

When his father offers it to him, Felix refuses it, stating that he “won’t accept what [he hasn’t] earned” (25). Over the course of the narrative, the medal is traded between all the main characters, highlighting their connections and thus echoing the novel’s title. Sergeant Baum gives it to Kara, who helped an injured enemy soldier despite her orders. She then passes it on to Juliette, who hopes to buy her father’s ransom with it. Instead, she later gives it to Dimitri to help pay for his own family’s freedom. Elsa then gets the medal back after she recognizes it as Sergeant Baum’s, so her father, Major Dressler, ends up keeping it.

At the end of the novel, when all five main characters are reunited after saving Major Dressler’s life, the latter tells them:

Medals are given to those who show exceptional courage. But do you know? Most of the people who receive them will claim they are not courageous at all. They will only say they were in a terrible situation and made the best choice they could. […] This medal belongs to every one of you. At some point, each of you found yourself in a terrible situation, and you responded with courage, with honor, and with kindness. Through your great examples, you saved me (326-27).

This reinforces the medal’s significance as a symbol of courage and resilience, which contributes to the themes of Anger Versus Empathy in Times of Conflict as well as The Intersection of Collective and Personal History.

Juliette’s red knitted hat holds personal significance, as it was given to her by her father before he was taken prisoner. It also takes on a larger symbolic meaning when she offers it to Dimitri: “She had wanted him to have the hat for warmth, but it meant so much more to him. What she had really given him was hope” (233).

Like the Golden Cross of Merit and Igor’s Red Star, Juliette’s red hat is one of the objects that travel between the main characters and connect them to one another. The hat is first mentioned when Juliette sells it to Kara, who, realizing how much it means to Juliette, gives it back to her. This symbolizes Kara’s selflessness, which is echoed by Juliette’s later gesture toward Dimitri:

She took a deep breath, then offered him her knitted hat. ‘I’ll be warm here. I think you might need this more than me.’

Last night, Juliette had told Dimitri all about her father being imprisoned by the Germans. He couldn’t accept this gift. ‘This hat was from your father.’

‘My father would want to know that I am the kind of person who helps others’ (229-30).

Later, this action is rewarded as the hat connects Juliette back to her family when her mother recognizes it on Dimitri. Finally, the young girl offers it to Major Dressler when he is injured, reinforcing the novel’s message about interconnectedness one last time.