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
Maddie will just keep writing. That wasn’t the end. The Germans pulled up a female prisoner, who screamed for the Resistance to go so the Germans would stop killing prisoners. Maddie and the Resistance ran. Paul and his men fired at the Germans and were murdered on the bridge. Once everyone still alive was in the boats, Maddie sobbed, and Mitraillette asked if that was Verity. Maddie said it was.
This female prisoner makes the case that the Resistance’s rescue attempt is actually making things worse—and if they want to help, the Resistance needs to leave. Maddie is reeling not just from Julie’s death, but the fact that she was the one who killed Julie. Without her best friend to focus on, Maddie is lost.
Themes
With fewer people to transport and hide, everyone went back to the rose-grower’s villa on the river. Mitraillette made the call; Maddie realizes now that she was Paul’s second-in-command. Mitraillette coached everyone through hiding their boats and then hid everyone on the riverbank while the Nazis searched the grounds. An hour later, the gardener gave the all-clear (though there were still Nazis posted in the driveway). A couple prisoners were sent over the river—and then Mitraillette seemed to lose steam. Everyone spent the night in the barn.
Maddie doesn’t seem to have considered what Mitraillette’s job in the Resistance actually is—which may reflect some internalized sexism on Maddie’s part. But the fact that Maddie underestimated Mitraillette offers hope that others will also underestimate Mitraillette—and that these low expectations will provide some cover for the girl.
Themes
Near dawn, Maddie asked one of the French men they’d freed how he got caught. He explained that he tried to blow up a bridge and got caught, and that the Germans only chained the prisoners they thought were dangerous. Julie, though, wasn’t dangerous—she was a collaborator. The man spit on the ground and said that Julie is better off dead. Maddie told the man to shut up, but he continued. He said that since Julie’s arms were bound, someone would’ve had to help her eat and drink. Nobody would’ve helped her. Maddie doesn’t remember exactly what happened next, but she knows she attacked him and screamed at him, which resulted in Mitraillette drugging Maddie.
Though Julie noted that her fellow prisoners detested her for collaborating with the Germans, what this prisoner has to say shows just how intense the prisoners’ hatred was. But Maddie’s focus is still on the fact that she lost her best friend—not necessarily on what military secrets Julie supposedly gave up in her final weeks of life. In other words, Maddie still sees Julie as a fellow human who deserves compassion.
Themes
When Maddie woke up, she felt terrible. The chauffer took her up to the villa; Maddie assumed that since she killed her best friend, they were turning her over to the police. Instead, the rose-grower led Maddie to a huge bathroom with a hot bath drawn. Maddie thought about slitting her wrists, but she wanted revenge, so she took a bath instead. When she was done, the rose-grower made her a meal of bread, honey, and a boiled egg. The egg made Maddie cry, as it reminded her of the Glaswegian refugees and of Julie. Maddie sobbed, and the rose-grower held her. When Maddie finished crying, the rose-grower made her another egg. The woman said that they’re alike: they both carry a huge burden.
Maddie’s guilty conscience makes everything far more difficult, as she’s unable to extend kindness or sympathy to herself. Indeed, Maddie implies that she deserves to suffer (or even die) for what she did. The rose-grower, though, says something interesting when she observes that they both carry a huge burden. This suggests that she perhaps empathizes with Maddie, but at this point it's unclear how. (And Maddie is too emotional to pick up on this right now.)
Themes
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The rose-grower’s gardens are full of damask roses, which are still flowering in December. According to Mitraillette, she used to be a skilled horticulturist. Maddie only noticed the roses after her bath. The roses were a bit sad in the rain, but they’ll be beautiful someday. By the time Maddie got back to the garage, the man she attacked was gone (she thinks her trip to the villa was a diversion while they got rid of him). Finally, two days later, the chauffer drove Mitraillette and Maddie home in the rose-grower’s car. The bridge still isn’t fixed, and there are still 15 bodies—including Julie’s—lying there.
The roses emerge here as a symbol for hope—just as the roses will one day flower again and be gloriously beautiful, the implication is that Europe will also one day recover from the devastation of World War II. The fact that Maddie only notices the roses after her bath suggests that the bath and her time with the rose-grower helped her start to come to terms with all the trauma she’s endured. Maddie might not have Julie anymore, but she can connect with others who can offer her comfort.
Themes
Now, Maddie is going to drink the stuff to knock her out. But she wants to note that when she wakes up, she has a project. One of Maman Thibaut’s friends who runs a laundry dropped off a bag of German chemises labeled with Käthe Habicht’s name. In the bag was a huge pile of paper. It must be from Engel, but it’s in English.
Readers may suspect that the pile of paper is Julie’s account—which confirms that Engel was working with the Resistance, not trying to set them up. This also implies that very soon, Maddie is going to get a lot of her questions answered—and she may be able to provide insight into what Julie wrote as well.
Themes
