Metaphor for the French People
The nightingale, which Isabelle uses as her alias when traveling through Europe, comes to act as a metaphor for the French people and their resistance. Nightingales are small birds with beautiful voices. Like the French people, who lack the physical strength to fight back against the Nazis with soldiers, they may be physically small, but have the incredible ability to speak out in spite of that. The nightingale sings, and the French people mobilize to smuggle soldiers out of the country, hide Jews and resist occupation, in spite of obstacles in their way.
“Love. It was the beginning and end of everything, the foundation and the ceiling and the air in between.” –Vianne, pg. 321
Vianne’s quote acts as a metaphor for how people are able to survive war. She survives the trauma of being stationed with Nazis, fearing for her husband and sister, and watching her friends die, and she does this by reminding herself of the people she loves who she wants to survive to be with. In wanting to create a safer world for her daughter, a world that her husband and sister can come home to, she is motivated to work harder in the resistance, and at the end of the day, love is what drives her to keep going in spite of incredible loss.
Metaphor for the Destruction of War
Rachel’s daughter Sophie dies in an incredibly callous, throwaway way: she’s shot while her family tries to escape France, which they fail to do. She dies as a child, and her death is in vain, as it does not even allow her family to escape future death and suffering. Her death is a metaphor for how destructive war can be, but also how much unnecessary violence it causes: violence that does not change anything, and is merely violence.
Metaphor for Sacrifice
The trap door in Vianne’s house acts as a metaphor for sacrifice, because the people who hide there are ultimately forced to take additional measures to survive. Rachel and Sophie hide there when the Nazis conduct their initial search for Jews, but later have to flee for the mountains, leading to Sophie’s death. Isabelle hides there when running from the Nazis as well, but Captain Beck finds her, and ends up killing him. The trap door is a metaphor for the sacrifice that comes from war. People try to escape violence and are forced to make incredible sacrifices to their personal safety, that of others, and their mental stability, while trying to do it.
Metaphor for the Changes of War
Vianne begins saving Jewish children by working with local nuns to hide them in their convent. Prior to the war, the nuns took only Catholic orphans into the convent, but as the war went on and more children were taken away, the nuns change their minds and start adopting Jewish children, because circumstances have changed their priorities.
