I know they will come back. And I do not want the Germans to have gleaned even one more minute of fear from me.
-- Sophie (Chapter 2 paragraph 48)

Importance: Having dealt with German occupation for years, Sophie is determined that the Germans will no longer make her afraid. She has been living with fear long enough. She does not hesitate to challenge the German Kommandant or the Germans. This reveals Sophie to be an incredibly brave young woman.

On the canvas I saw a girl I did not recognize. She gazed back at me defiantly, her hair glinting copper in the half-light, her skin as pale as alabaster, a girl with the imperious confidence of an aristocrat.
-- Sophie (Chapter 4 paragraph 134)

Importance: Sophie's reaction to Edouard's painting of her is one of stunned amazement. Edouard sees so much more in Sophie than Sophie sees in herself, and it comes out in the painting. It is Sophie's inner nature that comes...