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Chapter 20
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
Summer arrives, and with it comes incredibly hot temperatures. The heat makes Sophie sick, and she runs a high fever. Vianne is upset that she doesn’t have medicine to help Sophie and doesn’t know where to get any. Sophie’s cries draw Beck’s attention. He comes into Sophie’s room and gives Vianne a bottle of antibiotics to help treat Sophie’s illness. Vianne knows that the antibiotics will cost her something in the future but feels that she has to accept Beck’s offer.
Although Vianne doesn’t want to rely on Beck, she realizes that there is nothing else she can do. Vianne cares more about Sophie’s life than anything else in the world. Meanwhile, Beck continues to act as a provider for the Mauriacs. He gets Sophie the medicine she needs and nurses her back to health.
Themes
Meanwhile, Isabelle continues her resistance efforts. After yet another successful trip across the Pyrenees, she arrives at the Spanish consulate. Unfortunately, this time one of the airmen did not make it across the border without being arrested because he failed to follow Isabelle’s orders. Apparently, he did not respect her enough because she is a woman. Nonetheless, Isabelle’s contact in Spain is impressed. Over the past several months, Isabelle has escorted 87 men across the border. Isabelle is warned that she is doing too much and that the Nazis are looking for her. Of course, they do not know Isabelle’s real name; they only know her as the Nightingale. Although Isabelle knows that Ian is right, she rejects his warning and plans to continue her missions.
Isabelle’s numbers are impressive; she saves dozens of lives in a relatively short time. However, Isabelle’s success only adds to her risk. But Isabelle doesn’t care how risky a mission is—the only thing that matters to her is saving lives. While Isabelle’s bravery is commendable, it is also dangerous. Clever though she may be, the Nazis will eventually find the Nightingale if she takes on enough missions. The one thing that works in Isabelle’s favor is her gender; the Nazis assume “the Nightingale” is a man.
Themes
Despite the sense of accomplishment that she feels every time she completes a mission, Isabelle is not completely happy. She misses Vianne and Sophie and has regrets about how she treated Vianne when staying in her home. Unfortunately, Isabelle cannot visit Vianne and Sophie because doing so would put them both in harm’s way.
Vianne and Isabelle both regret how they treated each other. In retrospect, both realize that they were partially in the wrong; Isabelle should have been more cautious, and Vianne should have been more understanding.
Themes
When Isabelle returns to Paris, Anouk approaches her and tells her about a new job. Apparently, the Germans are looking for French women to help them with a secret clerical job. By pulling some strings, Levy managed to get Isabelle a position. He wants her to go and figure out what the Germans are working on. That night, Isabelle heads to German headquarters to perform her new job. On the way there, a German solider stops her. However, he lets her go once she explains where she is headed.
Isabelle is always willing to complete whatever task the resistance gives her. And once more, Isabelle’s gender works in her favor, making her the perfect candidate for this job.
Themes
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When Isabelle arrives at the German headquarters, she is handed a box of cards, each of which contains a name. Her job is to separate the names into two piles: one pile for foreign-born Jewish people and one pile for Jewish people born in France. Shocked, Isabelle begins sorting the names. However, before long, she comes across a card with Levy’s name on it. The sight startles her, and she accidently spills her box of cards. As she picks up her spilled cards, she slyly pockets Levy’s card so that the Germans won’t have it.
The German project is just as bad as the resistance expected: it looks like the persecution of Jewish people is about to get much worse. Even Levy is unsafe, although Isabelle tries to protect him by taking his card.
Themes
After hiding Levy’s card, Isabelle leaves without completing her job. She heads straight for Julien Rossignol’s apartment, where the two of them discuss the purpose of the cards. Later that night, someone slides a pamphlet under their door. The pamphlet them that the Germans are planning to send all of the Jewish people not born in France to labor camps. This news frightens Isabelle and Julien, and they decide that they need to help their Jewish neighbors hide. Isabelle does her best to help but can only do so much. She doesn’t want to draw too much attention to herself and out herself as the Nightingale.
Again, it is essential to remember that the French knew nothing about death camps at this point in the war. Although Isabelle and Julien suspect that the Nazis are up to something terrible, they could never imagine the horrors of Hitler’s plan. As always, Isabelle and Julien do the right thing and try to protect those around them. However, there is only so much they can do in the face of overwhelming evil.
Themes
