The Nightingale: Chapter 35 Summary & Analysis

August of 1944 arrives, and Von Richter continues to abuse Vianne. One night, after Von Richter rapes her, Vianne lets her mind wander to Isabelle and Antoine. She wonders if they are still alive and prays that they will come back to her. Vianne desperately needs support, as Von Richter has only grown more brutal as time goes by. His mood always aligns with how well the Germans are doing in the war, and by this time, it looks like they are going to lose.

Vianne walks into the kitchen and sees that Sophie is still awake. Sophie tells her mother that she knows what is going on between Vianne and Von Richter. Vianne tries to explain everything away, but Sophie tells her that she is not stupid. Vianne realizes that she should have known better than to try to hide anything from Sophie at this point. Although she has repeatedly tried to save her daughter’s innocence, she has failed at every turn. Sophie tells Vianne that if Isabelle were here, then she would have murdered Von Richter. In response, Vianne can only say that she is not as strong as Isabelle.

The next day, the weather is beautiful, so Vianne decides to take her class swimming. When Vianne announces her idea, the entire class immediately seems to forget about the war because they are so excited. Vianne realizes that the war has become normal for young children, which is a devastating thought.  Shortly after, Vianne finds herself feeling sick out of nowhere and she vomits. After a few moments, she comes to the sickening realization that she is pregnant.

A week later, Von Richter tells Vianne that the Germans are leaving Carriveau. He claims that the war is not over and that he is going to reinforce other German troops. Before he leaves, Von Richter calls Vianne a “whore” and tells her that she will never forget what he has done to her, even though he plans to immediately discard her from his memory. Vianne knows that, given her pregnancy, this cruel statement is even more true than Von Richter realizes.

When the Germans leave, life starts to return to normal in Carriveau, even though the war is not yet over. However, Vianne is incapable of relaxing. Although she promises Sophie that Antoine and Isabelle will be home soon, she has a hard time believing it herself. Additionally, she worries about what Antoine will think of her when he discovers that she is pregnant. Sophie knows about the pregnancy and asks Vianne what she plans to tell Antoine. Sophie strongly implies that Vianne shouldn’t say anything so that they can go back to their regular lives.

Right after Vianne’s conversation with Sophie, she walks outside and sees Antoine walking toward her. Vianne is overjoyed to see her husband, even though she also feels a deep sense of shame about her pregnancy. Vianne, Sophie, and Antoine, have a tender reunion, and even Ari comes outside to join them.

Later, at the dinner table, Vianne and Sophie immediately notice that Antoine is a changed man. Vianne thinks that even his voice is different; it seems to be filled with loss. After dinner, Antoine explains that he managed to escape the Germans by simply running away. He was worried that if he stayed in his POW camp, the Germans would beat him to death. With nothing left to lose, Antoine managed to escape on foot.

Antoine moves close to Vianne and tries to undress her. However, Antoine’s touch brings tears to Vianne’s eyes as she recalls what she has endured for the past few years. Vianne considers telling Antoine the truth but ultimately decides that it would be better if she didn’t. Instead, she decides to have sex with Antoine that night so that she can pretend the baby forming inside of her is his.  Two months later, Vianne tells Antoine she is pregnant. Antoine is sure that they won’t lose the child and calls its conception is a miracle. Vianne doesn’t know for sure, but she wonders whether Antoine has figured out the truth. Either way, he seems content to let the past stay in the past.