Part One: Chapter XIII, And the Lord Said to Abram . . . Summary and Analysis

In March 11, 1938, the family hears Chancellor Schuschnigg resign over the radio. Their butler, Hans, comes in to say that he has been a member of "the Nazi Party" for some time. Georg stares with sadness at the large Austrian flag and at trophies from his submarine days. Everyone is in shock. Bells toll through open windows. Georg orders them shut, but the bells grow louder on the radio from which a harsh voice declares, "We want the whole world to hear how the people in Austria greet their liberators". Maria refers to this as "the first lie in an endless chain". The children return from school describing "flags with the Swasticka practically covering the fronts of houses all over the place". Hans still...