sentences:  Melanie's mother (Suzanne von Borsody), a more worldly woman also inspires Thomas and Melanie with her avante garde notions of free-thinking.Thomas, smitten with Melanie, begins to paint a portrait of her.The painting is complete towards the year's end but as he presents it to her the Eastern Front collapses and Thomas, though only fourteen, is drafted into the Volkssturm along with the rest of his Hitler Youth unit.