The novel Parallel Journeys written by Eleanor Ayer with Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck peers inside the lives of two completely opposite worlds. This novel explores the lives of Helen and Alfons during World War 2 as they experience completely opposite sides of the war.
Helen is a young Jewish woman married to a man named Siegfried with a young daughter -, Doris. Helen’s story describes her life in a concentration camp. Her family first lived in Frankfort, Germany; but as the rise of the Nazis became prevalent, Siegfried and Helen moved to Amsterdam. As Nazi Power became even stronger, Helen sent Doris off to live with another family, while Helen and Siegfried went into hiding in many different houses over the years. Eventually, Helen and Siegfried were taken into concentration camps, where Helen experienced extreme mental, physical, and emotional illness/starvation. Siegfried did not survive, but Helen did.
Alfons was a young boy at the time and part of the Hitler Youth Leaders. Alfons had a twin but the twin was shipped off to a different location due to twin experimentation at the time. Alfons was a loyal Hitler enthusiast and eventually trained to be in the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). Eventually, due to Alfons’s extreme leadership and enthusiasm toward Hitler and the Nazi regime, Alfons earned many leadership positions within the Hitler Youth. The audience views Alfons’s journey and feelings during this time and peaks into what life was like as a child in Germany.