Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Code Name Verity, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
War, Women, and Gender Roles
The Horrors of War
Resistance and Courage
Storytelling
Summary
Analysis
The narrator is way ahead of Engel in their translations, so she’s sneaking some of her own writing in. Engel has just told the narrator that if she’s lucky, she’ll end up at the women’s concentration camp called Ravensbrück. If she’s not lucky, she’ll end up at Natzweiler-Struthof, which is where Nacht und Nebel prisoners vanish. It’s mostly men; female prisoners who are sent there are used as live specimens for medical experiments. If the narrator is extremely lucky, she’ll get herself shot.
It's somewhat unclear whether Engel framed the narrator’s options in these terms, or if the narrator is being facetious. But the fact remains that the narrator doesn’t have any good options—no matter what happens to her, she’s likely going to die miserably after more torture at the Nazis’ hands. Noting that the best option is getting shot quickly shows that the narrator is starting to come to terms with her impending death.
Themes
It’s time for the narrator to update her list of fears. Now she’s afraid of the cold, falling asleep while she’s working, bombs falling on Jamie, kerosene, von Linden, losing her sweater, being sent to Natzweiler-Struthof, having to tell people in England what she did in France, not being able to finish her account, and finishing it. She’s no longer afraid of growing old—she’d love to grow old, and saying what she did was “so stupid.”
It’s impossible to ignore the toll of being imprisoned and tortured as the narrator revamps her list of fears. Most people see kerosene as just a way to light lamps—not something that makes a list of fears because of its potential as a murder weapon. The narrator is also still working through her impending death, as when she notes that she was silly and naïve to be afraid of growing old earlier. Now, she realizes growing older is a privilege she probably won’t get to enjoy.
Themes
People are getting excited about the American’s visit. The interview will take place in von Linden’s office, which the narrator got to see earlier—it’s lavish. Presently, she’s still writing in her broom cupboard, tied to her chair, with Thibaut and his friend tormenting her. But to go back to Maddie’s story, it’s time to write about Scotland. The girls were never in Scotland together, but it feels like they were.
The narrator’s tone as she returns to Maddie’s story suggests that now, with her death feeling more real every day and with Thibaut being so cruel, Maddie’s story is even more of an escape. By writing about happy times and getting to imagine being in Scotland with Maddie, the narrator can find some peace in her current situation.
Themes
One night in 1941, Maddie got stuck in Deeside after taking a plane there. She cautiously flew north, admiring Scotland and the Highlands below, and it was freezing. Faced with the option of staying with officers, finding a guest house, or taking a train to Manchester, Maddie opted for the train—which happened to run past Castle Craig. Maddie knew she couldn’t just go knock on a castle door, but the stationmaster recognized Maddie’s boots as pilots’ boots and asked if she was one of Jamie’s friends. He was up at the castle alone with eight Glaswegian evacuees; his mother was away, so he was in charge.
Again, as the narrator describes Maddie admiring the landscape from her plane, it’s clear that both women truly love the UK and want to preserve its beauty. And since the narrator may never see Scotland again (if she dies in France), this may be a way for her to remember her home. For Maddie, being recognized as a pilot because of her boots suggests that she belongs in the ATA—and that people will respect her for what she can do, regardless of the fact that she’s a woman in a male-dominated field.
Themes
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Maddie headed up the path to Craig Castle, where a young Glaswegian boy answered the door. She couldn’t understand a word he said except his name—Jock—but she let him touch her pilot’s wings and lead her down to the underground kitchen. There, Jock and seven other little boys were seated around the big table, eating eggs and toast, while Jamie manned the stove. Despite having lost fingers to frostbite in the North Sea, he was adept with the tongs. And he looked far healthier than he did the last time Maddie saw him.
During World War II, many city children were evacuated to the countryside to protect them from bombings, like the Glaswegian evacuees in the novel. But despite the terrible, traumatic things that have happened to Jamie and the evacuees, Maddie observes a warm, happy scene—Jamie and the boys seem to be finding happiness even among all the horrors the war has brought.
Themes
Jamie saluted Maddie (the boys copied him), introduced her to the boys, and invited her to have an egg with them. The egg was perfect. Maddie told the boys they’d been evacuated to a magic castle, which started an argument about who’d seen the castle’s ghost and who hadn’t. Jamie and Maddie agreed that they felt outnumbered. After putting the boys to bed, Jamie brought a pot of coffee to the library—his mother hoarded coffee.
Especially given that Maddie and Jamie are in a castle, this scene continues to have an almost fairytale feel to it. Coffee is, at this point, a luxury due to rationing, so this pot of coffee in the library is no doubt a bright spot for Jamie and Maddie.
Themes
When Jamie asked how she got here, Maddie said, “Second to the right, and then straight on till morning.” Jamie asked if he was Peter Pan and then said his mother left her children’s bedroom windows open at night in case they flew home, just like Mrs. Darling did. But Jamie wasn’t flying now. Maddie asked how Jamie saved the fingers he had left, and he said he put them in his mouth. His siblings called him The Pobble Who Has No Toes after a silly poem by Edward Lear. Jamie said he’d like to fly again and he should be able to join the ATA. Jamie noted that he’s flown mostly at night.
Maddie is, of course, flying to Scotland on military business—so mentioning Peter Pan like this seems to be a way to make the war seem less serious (and, in turn, easier to handle). Jamie bringing up “The Pobble Who Has No Toes” suggests that Maddie isn’t the only person engaging in thought exercises like this—referring to Jamie in this way helps soften the fact that he lost his toes to frostbite. Especially when considered alongside Jamie’s mother leaving the windows open like Mrs. Darling, it suggests that this practice of reverting to an innocent or childlike worldview is somewhat widespread.
Themes
Maddie has, by this time, spent some time at the Special Duties airfield (she’s even slept in their cottage). She knew they needed pilots who can fly at night and speak French, and they can’t recruit anyone. Remembering all the favors that Dympna did for her that Maddie will never be able to pay back, Maddie decided to pay it forward. She told Jamie to ask about Special Duties flying and gave him the name of the intelligence officer. Though the narrator would love to write more about her bedroom, her home, and Jamie and Maddie, von Linden needs to prepare her for her interview tomorrow—so many lies.
There’s romantic chemistry between Maddie and Jamie, but here, Maddie helps him out as a friend by referring him to Special Duties. She does this because she understands what it’s like to desperately want to fly and help the British war effort. The ATA was known for taking pilots with physical disabilities as long as they could still fly, so Maddie knows that this organization is, perhaps, the only one that will give Jamie a chance.
Themes
