Trains
Isabelle travels on multiple trains as she conducts her resistance work. They symbolize the expanse of her work, because she travels between countries in order to smuggle American soldiers out of France. They also symbolize how aspects of life stay the same during war, because even though everything in France changes, trains still run and people still travel.
Books
Isabelle spends time in her father’s bookstore as she carries out work in Paris, and it comes to represent a center for resistance. Her father serves Nazis and the store caters to their tastes, but in reality, both of them are actively working against the Nazi occupation. They also symbolize an aspect of hope in the middle of war, because they contain knowledge that the Nazis disagree with and an opportunity to escape occupation.
Gardens
Isabelle sleeps in her sister’s garden when she first arrives at her house, symbolizing the emotional distance between the two of them at the start of the novel. The garden is in its early stages of blooming at the time, and when she meets Gaitan there, he sparks her interest in joining the resistance. This interest and involvement grows over time as the garden grows. Furthermore, as Vianne struggles with her arc in the war, she lets her garden go neglected, as she sinks into despair and worries about other issues. As she becomes more invested in the resistance, however, she starts tending her garden again, and when Antoine comes home, the garden is in bloom.
Isabelle’s flyers
Isabelle’s resistance flyers pop up across France over the course of The Nightingale. While initially people tear them down, and they’re found lining the gutters, eventually people start taking notice and reading them. More are produced, more are hung up, and more people start participating in the resistance. The posters symbolize how the people of France start mobilizing to resist the Nazi regime.
