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Part 2, Section 10
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
Georgia Penn has found Julie, six weeks after Julie disappeared. Maddie doesn’t even know how she feels anymore. Julie is in Ormaie and looked elegant, as usual, but she is a prisoner. Apparently the Gestapo caught her immediately when she looked the wrong way crossing the street. Had she had the right ID, she might have gotten away with it. Penn verified Julie by her code name, and she believes that the interview setup was a sham. Apparently, everyone except for the Gestapo woman sat around drinking cognac, and Julie gave Penn information in code right in front of the captain. Julie told Penn she’s a wireless operator; she’s no doubt given the Gestapo obsolete wireless code. And that means Julie won’t have to reveal that her real job is to blow up the Ormaie Gestapo headquarters.
Having read Julie’s account of the interview with Penn, readers can confirm that the interview was indeed a sham—von Linden forbade Julie from saying anything useful. This also explains why Julie reacted the way she did when Penn said she was “looking for verity,” as that was presumably how Penn verified Julie’s code name. And Julie’s statement in response—that everyone was lying—now takes on a deeper meaning: Penn was, of course, lying about being a Nazi sympathizer. And Maddie gets confirmation here that Julie has been able to use the photo of the 11 wireless sets in the Lysander—she was able to help her friend.
Themes
Maddie has to pause writing and remind herself not to cry. She writes that she and Mitraillette met Penn by a pond in Ormaie and helped her unwind old socks while Penn talked to them. At one point, Penn grabbed Maddie’s hand and asked if she was feeling brave. Penn shared that Julie has been tortured; carefully, Julie would wait until the captain wasn’t looking and then pull back her sleeve, or adjust her scarf, to show Penn burns and bruises. It seems like they stopped torturing her a few weeks ago, so Julie must’ve made a deal with them.
Readers know that Julie did make a deal with von Linden; she gets to write her account in exchange for about two more weeks alive. But for those in the Resistance, it’s impossible to know this—that’s not something Julie could easily pass along through Penn. Finally getting insight on Julie’s bruises also highlights that Julie never described what she suffered in great detail—though it’s unclear why.
Themes
Penn admitted to Maddie that Julie was focused, seemed surprised to hear her code name come up, and never hinted at rescue. She seemed to believe she could finish her assignment from the inside. Penn didn’t know what Julie’s assignment was, but she then gave Maddie the information Julie passed on. Julie said that the Gestapo HQ has its own generator, that the fuse box is under the grand staircase, and that there’s no wireless setup. Apparently Julie also thinks that the Gestapo secretary, Engel (whom Julie called l’ange, or “the angel”) is going to have a “crisis of conscience.”
Penn makes it clear that although Julie is a prisoner, she’s still working and is trying her hardest to complete her mission. The fact that Julie doesn’t seem interested in rescue suggests that she has truly made peace with her potential death—though, of course, rescue is a possibility now that the Resistance has located her. Penn also confirms that Julie’s allusions to possibly forming a working relationship with Engel were real. Engel is, at least in Julie’s estimation, sympathetic to her, if not the Allies’ cause.
Themes
Maddie used to be jealous of Julie. Julie is clever, good with men, posh, and has caught spies. Now, Maddie doesn’t envy Julie. She can only think of where Julie is and how much she loves her.
Julie has many enviable qualities, but now, Maddie realizes that Julie’s charm is what put her in a position where the Nazis could capture her. Her love for Julie overtakes any jealousy she might have felt before, emphasizing how strong their bond is even when they’re separated.
Themes
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