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
The perspective shifts back to 1944. Isabelle is in Paris with Julien Rossignol. When Isabelle looks at her father, she realizes that he’s aged greatly in the past few years. Julien is worried about Isabelle, and he asks her to take a break from transporting pilots—he worries that she is taking too many trips and will be caught soon. Isabelle deflects her father’s fears, arguing that he would never give a man the same advice. Julien asks Isabelle if she wants to stay with him, but Isabelle declines, thinking it would be too great a risk. He also asks for an update on Vianne. Isabelle tells him what she knows and promises him that she has people watching Vianne and Sophie.
In this scene, Isabelle notices the physical effects of the war on her father's face. Though Julien’s fears are understandable, Isabelle refuses to back down, suggesting that Julien is more afraid for her because she’s a woman. This notion may or may not be accurate, but that doesn't mean that the danger is any less real.
Themes
That night, Isabelle has a secret rendezvous with Gaëtan, whom she has not seen in some time. Gaëtan is part of a guerilla group known as the Maquis. Isabelle only gets to see Gaëtan briefly so that she can hand him a message, but it is nonetheless a meaningful exchange. Isabelle knows that Gaëtan is afraid to express his feelings for her because it is increasingly likely that one of them will die soon. Nonetheless, Isabelle knows that he loves her.
If only for a brief moment, Isabelle and Gaëtan’s brief reunion gives Isabelle the strength to go on. It’s not much, but it’s all she can ask for at this point in the war.
Themes
Meanwhile, in Carriveau, Vianne has continued to help Jewish children escape Nazi persecution. She has hidden 13 children at the orphanage. One day, Von Richter interrupts Vianne while she is teaching. Von Richter questions her about her affiliation with Henri, who has apparently been arrested for aiding the enemy. Vianne admits that she knows Henri but claims that he is only a casual acquaintance. Von Richter presses Vianne; apparently, she’s been seen with Henri several times in public. However, Vianne manages to keep her cool and successfully lie to Von Richter’s face.
Like her sister, Vianne turns into quite the war hero. She is responsible for saving many lives in a way that suits her motherly instinct. Although she does not possess Isabelle's style of bravery, she has a form of courage that is all her own. However, Von Richter never stops being suspicious of Vianne, and the fact that his suspicions are correct only makes him more terrifying.
Themes
Von Richter warns Vianne that he will hurt her and her children if he finds out she is lying. Von Richter’s threat is too much for Vianne, and for a moment she shows weakness. She begs Von Richter to leave her children alone. Vianne’s reaction brings joy to Von Richter. Although she has remained stoic for months, Von Richter finally exposed some weakness in Vianne that he can exploit in the future. Vianne knows she has made a mistake but cannot do anything about it.
Von Richter has no problem making threats to get what he wants. Vianne knows that he is serious but continues to lie to him anyway. However. Things take a turn for the worse when Von Richter discovers Vianne’s weakness: children. Now, Von Richter knows how to get to Vianne if he needs to gain some advantage.
Themes
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Around the same time, Isabelle is on her way to Madame Babineau’s to lead yet another mission through the mountains. She arrives with a heavy heart and wants to tell Madame Babineau all her problems, but she knows she can’t do such a thing during wartime. Instead, she puts on a brave face and tells Madame Babineau that she is ready to go. However, before Isabelle can go anywhere, a car appears outside Madame Babineau’s cabin, and Nazi soldier stream out of it. They pin everyone in the cabin up against the wall and arrest them.
Isabelle has avoided detection thus far, but as the Nazis show up and take Isabelle prisoner, it seems that she’s finally facing the consequences of her resistance efforts .
Themes
