Summary

Isabelle meets with her resistance contact, Anouk, who summons her to a meeting in Carriveau and tells her Gaetan has been asking about her. When Isabelle meets Henri in Carriveau, he warns her that the Germans are searching for the Nightingale, which worries him more now that the Germans have begun arresting female resistance fighters. Isabelle asks about her sister, and Henri explains that Vianne has lost her job and that people are gossiping about Vianne and Beck.

As the sexual tension between Vianne and Beck grows, Beck provides a forged birth certificate for Ari that renames him Daniel and identifies him as Vianne’s orphaned nephew. Rather than risk having Ari remember his old name, Vianne and Sophie tell him that his mother is dead and he is being adopted with the name Daniel.

Analysis

When Vianne lies to Ari by telling him that his mother is dead, she experiences another form of complicity with the Nazis. She needs to make Ari believe that there is no hope of his mother returning in order for him to fully embrace his new identity as Daniel. By doing this, she becomes an agent of hopelessness, working alongside the Nazis to deprive French Jews such as Ari of hope. However, this lie seems to be a necessary evil in Vianne’s eyes: She will break Ari’s heart in order to keep him alive.

The Germans have finally recognized the substantial role of women in the resistance effort, making Isabelle’s role as the Nightingale more dangerous. Whereas influential women in history have often been glad to see their contributions recognized, this is a rare case in which acknowledgment makes it harder for these women to do their jobs as resistance fighters.