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
In a letter dated December 26, 1943, Julie’s mother writes to Maddie. She received Maddie and Julie’s accounts. They’ll be safe in Castle Craig, where the house “absorbs secrets like the damp.” Jamie told her when he handed over the accounts that Maddie did the right thing, and now, Maddie’s mother has to agree. She invites Maddie to come visit. The Glaswegian evacuees are distraught that Julie is gone, and two of them have been orphaned. Julie’s mother is thinking of keeping those two, and a visit from Maddie would cheer them up. Julie’s mother would also like to “keep” Maddie, as her daughter’s best friend. She assures Maddie that “the window is always open.” In a postscript, Julie’s mother thanks Maddie for the extraordinary pen.
Julie’s mother makes the case that while the accounts have provided closure for those who have read them, it’s also important for the accounts not to circulate widely. This will protect Maddie, and it will protect Julie’s memory as well. She also makes it clear that Maddie and Julie’s accounts have shown her that Maddie did the right thing—they justify Maddie’s choice to kill Julie and highlight how close and connected the girls were. Noting that “the window is always open” is a final nod to Peter Pan. Maddie might get to grow older, unlike Julie—but she’ll always have an adult to care for her in Julie’s mother.
Themes
