1943, Part 4 Summary and Analysis

As winter began, the grip of the Germans and the new Fascists tightened. The families of young recruits were threatened with severe reprisals if those recruits didn't turn up for service in the new Italian army, and many of those recruits felt they had no choice but to comply with their orders. Jews, the Marchesa writes, were being rounded up all over Italy, particularly in Rome, and being shipped off to concentration camps. She also recounts several other instances of cruelty and violence perpetrated by both the Italian Fascists and the Germans, commenting on "the bulk of hatred accumulating" against both groups of oppressors. She describes a morning in which several different sorts of fugitives arrived at La Foce, some seeking food, others seeking clothes, others seeking maps, still others simply seeking a place to sleep. Finally, she describes the increasing...