The Boy Who Dared

In the beginning of the novel, Helmuth’s family often listens to Mutti’s radio. When Hugo replaces it with a People’s Receiver that only has government-approved stations, Helmuth is unable to access foreign news stations. The physical radio itself, created by Hitler’s government, is a powerful propaganda tool. Hitler acts as if the radio is a blessing because it is affordable, when actually it censors the news and prevents the German people from hearing more accurate reports. Limited to the RRG, at first with the People’s Receiver and then with the Radio Law, the Nazis lie to the Germans and make it difficult to even know that they are being lied to.

Helmuth learns the truth about the war when he listens to Gerhard’s contraband French radio that receives BBC reports in German. By comparing the news on both radios, he is able to determine that the RRG is dishonest. Because other Germans do not have access to foreign radios, they fall prey more easily to Hitler’s propaganda. Hitler’s control over the radios in people’s homes and the airwaves shows how powerful the media is: the person who controls the media creates the news.

Helmuth and his friends break the law by listening to Gerhard’s radio.