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Chapter 1
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
It is August 1939 in France as Vianne Mauriac steps out of her kitchen and into her front yard on a beautiful summer day. Outside, the smell of flowers and the buzzing of bees mix with the laughter of Vianne’s eight-year-old daughter, Sophie. Sophie is excited because the family is getting ready for their Saturday picnic. Antoine, Vianne’s husband, goes outside, pulls Vianne close to him, and tells her he loves her. Vianne and Antoine are childhood sweethearts; they met on the playground when Vianne was a young, scared girl.
The reader is transported to an idyllic French setting filled with love and romance. There is an emphasis on the scene’s natural beauty, and everyone present appears happy and healthy. However, August 1939 was just one month before the German invasion of Poland, which is when France entered World War II—meaning things will likely take a turn for the worse.
Themes
Vianne moved into the house she now stands next to when she was just 14 years old. At the time, she was a frightened, motherless child. Her mother had died just a few weeks before, and her father had already given up on being a good parent. Vianne was left with a Madame who raised her and her sister, Isabelle. At the time, she felt alone, and, in retrospect, she feels she should have done more to help her sister. However, when Vianne met Antoine, he pulled her out of her grief and isolation. At 16, Vianne became pregnant and then married Antoine at 17. However, she lost the child due to a miscarriage, sending her into another downward spiral.
Although Vianne is happy in the present, she has a dark past. Her family is fractured, and she feels partially responsible. These family dynamics will be important as the novel moves forward because they shape how the central characters interact with one another. Vianne’s miscarriage is also significant because it explains why Sophie, and perhaps children in general, are so important to her.
Themes
However, on such a beautiful summer day, Vianne does not want to think of her past. Instead, she accompanies Sophie and Antoine through the nearby town of Carriveau. Carriveau is an ancient and beautiful city with cobblestone paths and skilled artisans. The Mauriacs make their way through the city and eventually arrive at their destination: a grassy spot by the river. Once there, the family has a wonderful day of feasting and enjoying each other’s company.
Carriveau is a fictional town that Hannah invented for the novel. However, the look and feel of the city is based on real French provincial towns. Again, the descriptions in this section detail an idyllic setting that will soon be ravaged by war.
Themes
Hours later, Sophie walks off to go fishing, and the day’s tone quickly shifts. Antoine tells Vianne that Hitler will soon force France to go to war. In response, Vianne says that she doesn’t want to talk about these matters on such a beautiful day and gets up to leave. Together, the family makes their way home and, for some time, the question of war disappears. At home, Sophie makes dinner and watches Antoine push Sophie on a swing. When dinner is ready, the family sits down and eats. Sophie talks and tells stories the whole time.
Vianne doesn’t want talk of war to sully her day—she knows that war will mean that Antoine must leave her and Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie, who is just a child, has no sense of what is to come. She does not have experience with war, and she is too young to realize how radically it will affect her life.
Themes
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After dinner, Sophie tells Vianne that she thinks Antoine is thinking about the war again because he didn’t laugh at any of her stories. Then, Sophie asks Vianne if war is coming. Vianne tells Sophie not to worry because Antoine will protect them no matter what. Vianne knows that this is poor advice. Her father told her something similar as a child before going off to war.
Here, Sophie demonstrates that, although young, she is perceptive. Although her parents may try hiding the truth from her, Sophie understands something is wrong. Meanwhile, Vianne and Antoine do their best to protect their only child’s innocence while they still can.
Themes
Once Sophie is tucked into bed, Vianne goes downstairs and sees Antoine smoking. Antoine reveals that he’s received a letter telling him he must report for duty on Tuesday. Vianne is confused; France is not yet at war, and Antoine is only a postman. When she tries to tell him so, Antoine responds, “I am a soldier now, it seems.”
Although Vianne knew that war was on the horizon, she didn’t realize she had so little time. In a time of war, it would not be uncommon for someone like Antoine, who is merely a postman, to be recruited to serve on the front line. Antoine knows he has no choice in the matter and calmly accepts his fate.
Themes
