Rodriguez

1
Mark Rodriguez
Professor Corri Ditch
English 113B
02 April 2015
Internal Spaces Saves Our Souls
During World War II the citizens of Guernsey face many obstacles from being
bombed, to losing family, and being occupied by the Germans. These obstacles are some
examples of external spaces that the citizens of Guernsey face but these did not stop them
from having a lively time and developing friendships with one another. The people of the
Potato Peel Pie Society develop internal spaces such as their own book club, friendships,
and hope to escape from the external space that oppressed them during the war.
During World War II, German troops landed on the island of Guernsey off the
coast of France in 1940. The war brought the people of Guernsey great despair from
death of their own people, losing family members that were both young and old, and
having lost their freedom. Since the occupation of the German troops on the island, many
things changed the ways of life for the people of Guernsey. Some things that changed
these peoples way of life are curfew, having their livestock tracked, and shortage of
food. For example, once the troops arrived curfew was applied to all citizens on the
island. Barrows and Shaffer write, in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,
For instance, they were always changing curfew-eight at night, or nine, or five in the
evening (64). Curfew was always changing for these people depending on how the
troops felt that day. Most of these changes made the citizens of Guernsey miss how their

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old home island was. World War II had a big impact on the external space for these
people because there was a drastic change in the way they lived their life.
The way of life on the island of Guernsey changed when the German arrived
because its citizens began to develop internal spaces to get through the years using the
book club that was formed one night. An example of an internal space that helped some
of the citizens of Guernsey was the Potato Peel Pie Society and their readings. This
brought some of the islands citizens together during the nights to socialize and escape the
realities of the changes that happened on their island. Just like the islanders Sandra Tsing
Loh has a similar experience on her way back home to Van Nuys. Loh explains that she
wishes she were home but the reality is that she is home, Theres no place like home.
But in fact, you are home (121). Loh explains that she wishes that she were back home
the way she remembered it the last time she was at Van Nuys, but she then realizes and
accepts the fact that her home has changed. The citizens of Guernsey too realize that after
the occupation of the island that their home was going to be changed, but they had
internal spaces that would help get them through this. Meanwhile, the society brought
them together to read and to escape reality through literature. Shaffer and Barrows write,
in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, We began to meet-for the sake of
the Commandant at first, and then for our own pleasure (50). This quote demonstrates
that at first the society was created to please the Commandant when they were first
caught at the beginning of the war, and then it became one of their ways to forget about
the crisis outside of the society. Books to the members of the society became a way for
them to become content for at least a while and forget all of the misery that was to come
throughout the rest of the years that they were occupied. Another example that the society

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brought the citizens together was that the books brought up their spirits and livelihood for
a while. They write, in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I could tell
you more about reading and how it perked up our spirits while the Germans were here
(Shaffer and Barrows 53). This explains to us that the readings that they did helped them
be cheerful and not notice the war and the Germans that were stationed on Guernsey. The
internal spaces of the book club that they have developed throughout the war had helped
them get through most of the struggles that they faced from the Germans.
Another internal space that the citizens of Guernsey had developed was
friendships with each other. The friendship that the members of the society had made was
the best for them since they need people to help them get through the struggles they had
to overcome. We clung to books and to our friends; they reminded us that we had
another part to us (Shaffer and Barrows 64). The members of the Guernsey Literary and
Potato Peel Pie Society stuck to friendships with each other to help themselves stay
together and not forget who they really were. Friendships were an important part of the
citizens lives to keep themselves together because they can help out with many things
when you are not able to take care of yourself to giving you happiness. Elizabeth Telfer
claims, in her journal Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, It is often said that
friendships are among the most important constituents of a worth-while life (223).
Telfer explains that friendships are an important part of life due to the fact that it is one
way to make life better and worth living for. Having friends during the war helped the
members go through a lot of drama like losing a member of there own to taking care of
one another. An example of this was when Elizabeth was taken for being found out that
she had sheltered one of the German troops slaves in her home. Elizabeth was taken,

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leaving her daughter Kit without anyone, so Dawsey comes in to take the role of Kits
guardian hoping that Elizabeth would come back. In the Documentary Happy, directed by
Roko Belic, the Blanchards were a group of family and friends that grew up together and
gained the internal space of friendship as they grew up. The Blanchards explain that they
grew up living off the land and learning how to fix things on their own with the help of
their family and friends. The Blanchards are a prime example of a group of people having
to adapt to the external space around them by developing friendships throughout their
lives. Friendships are an important internal space that the members of the Guernsey
Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society had developed to forget the misery surrounding their
homes.
The citizens of Guernsey develop hope during World War II as an internal space
to keep them going through the tough times. Hope gives people the will power to push on
during the current time so that something positive comes around. Eleonor Antelius states
that, Hope has been said to enable a connection between the present and the future,
because action taken in the present could bring about (positive) change in the future
(324). Antelius explains that hope connects people to the present and future by changing
a persons actions The loss of their loved ones, their children, and friends gave them the
hope for better days to come to keep their spirits up in spite of the tragedies they face.
The citizens lost their loved ones due to bombing raids by the German forces before
arriving on the island. They also lost their children when the British docked onto the
island to evacuate the children for their safety from all the troubles that would come from
the German army. Eben explains that, Eli left Guernsey on 20th June, along with the
thousands of babies and schoolchildren who were evacuated to England we never

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knew what towns our children were in (Shaffer and Barrows 74). The many children
that were evacuated to England had parents and guardians that were worried about them.
Their parents hoped that they were sent to a good boarding house and were doing well
with the families they were sent to. During the five years that Eli had been gone, Eben
had hope, that would push him through the struggles, that Eli would return to the island
safe and unhurt.
Though the Potato Peel Pie Society had given most of its members hope,
friendship, and a place to develop internal spaces to escape from the war, there were a
couple members that have the chance to develop these internal spaces. An example of a
member is Miss Adelaide Addison, who bad mouths the society because the founder,
Elizabeth, was fraternizing with one of the German soldiers. Therefore Adelaide Addison
claims that she was not even a true islander. As Addison mentions, she did not want to be
part of a society that is a scandal and that there are citizens that do not want to take part
of the society that they thought was a game. She states, Furthermore, the so-called
Literary Society is a scandal. There are those of true culture and breeding here in
Guernsey, and they will take no part in this charade (even if invited) (Shaffer an
Barrows 67). This shows us that there were some people on the island of Guernsey that
thought of the book club as a game and did not want to participate on such things. They
did not believe that anything good would come from the Potato Peel Pie Society. Though
Addison had her own internal spaces that prevented her from connecting with the book
club, the members of the book club fairly shared the same internal spaces to help them
through the tragedies they faced from the external space.

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As World War II progressed and Guernsey Island became occupied by the
Germans, all persons who lived in the island were affected in an internal and external
level. Some citizens had to come up with a book club as a means of internal space to fight
off the external space that they faced. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
helped a select few gain internal spaces such as hope for a new beginning and friendships
to help with the individual struggles that they faced throughout the last five years of
World War II.

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Works Cited
Antelius, Eleonor. "The Meaning of the Present: Hope and Foreclosure in Narrations
about People with Severe Brain Damage." Medical Anthropology Quarterly 21.3
2007): 324-42. JSTOR. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
Happy. Dir. Roko Belic. Perf. Anne Bechsgaard, Gregory Berns, Roy Blanchard. Wadi
Rum Productions, 2011. Documentary.
Loh, Sandra Tsing. "Coming Home to Van Nuys." Depth Takes a Holiday: Essays from
Lesser Los Angeles. New York: Riverhead Book, 1996. N. pag. Print.
Shaffer, Mary Ann., and Annie Barrows. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie
Society. New York, NY: Dial, 2008. Print.
Telfer, Elizabeth. "Friendship." Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 71 (1970): 223
41. JSTOR. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.