Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Nightingale, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Morality and Impossible Choices
Antisemitism and Active Resistance
Gender Roles
Love and War
Summary
Analysis
Isabelle finally wakes up from her strange dreams to find Gaëtan by her side. All her memories come flooding back to her, and she immediately wants to know if Vianne is okay. Gaëtan assure Isabelle that Vianne is fine. Isabelle wishes there was some immediate way to patch things up with her sister. She assumes that Vianne is still angry with her for bringing danger into her home. She also talks to Gaëtan about how hard it must have been for Vianne to kill Beck.
Isabelle survives primarily because of Gaëtan's help. In her mind, she has already forgiven Vianne for everything and only wants to know whether she’s okay. Isabelle realizes now how reckless her actions were and wishes she could take them back. She also recognizes just how much her sister loves her because of what she was willing to do on her behalf.
Themes
Turning her attention to Gaëtan, Isabelle says that love is the only thing that helps her continue fighting. She tells Gaëtan that she wants to be with him, no matter what the cost. She doesn’t want to die knowing that they could have been together but weren’t because of fear. In response, Gaëtan tells Isabelle that they cannot be together. Isabelle asks him if he would say the same thing if they were not at war. To this question, Gaëtan has no response. Gaëtan’s lack of an answer confirms his love for Isabelle, even if he doesn’t say anything out loud.
Again, Hannah juxtaposes love and war. Love is undoubtedly a positive force, but Gaëtan also fears it. He knows that losing Isabelle would devastate him and that he would be unable to go on fighting. Gaëtan's fear compounds because he knows at least one of them is likely to die before the end of the war because their involvement in the resistance puts them in such dangerous situations.
Themes
Meanwhile, Beck and Isabelle haunt Vianne’s dreams. She feels guilty over her relationships with both parties and, for the time being, she cannot do anything to resolve these feelings. At this point, Vianne sleeps in Beck’s old room because Von Richter took over her room upstairs. When Vianne gets up in the morning, she sees Von Richter drinking coffee, a luxury only the Germans have access to. Unlike Beck, Von Richter never shares his privileges with Vianne and Sophie. When Von Richter sees Vianne, he tells her that he will be having guests for dinner and that she must cook for them. Additionally, he warns her to keep Ari away from him and his dinner guests so that they don’t get sick. Vianne promises to do as Von Richter wishes, and then she goes back into her room until he leaves.
Previously, Isabelle had few regrets because she was too young to have any. However, her recent experiences have led her to reconsider her actions and how they can create unintended consequences for others. Meanwhile, Vianne's situation has only gotten worse. She already had a hard enough time caring for Sophie and Ari with Beck's help. Now she has no support and is constantly under the watchful eye of a truly evil man.
Themes
Meanwhile, Isabelle sits alone and realizes that she is fearful of losing Gaëtan. She knows that either of them could die at any moment, and the realization overwhelms her despite—or perhaps because of—everything that Isabelle has been through. Not wanting to repress her feelings any longer, Isabelle approaches Gaëtan wearing only a towel. Isabelle tells Gaëtan her intentions and then drops her towel. They have sex for the first time.
Despite Gaëtan's initial resistance to the idea, he and Isabelle finally act on their feelings for one another. In this scene, Isabelle once again flouts her traditional gender role and serves as the pursuer in the situation.
Themes
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