The Nightingale Book Analysis & Discussion

Task

As you read Hannah’s The Nightingale, pay attention to the themes, motifs, and characters listed below. Type your analysis of each of the following things listed, and prepare responses for our group discussion.

Character Analysis (Section 1) - Choose ONE characters from Section 1 and write a one paragraph character analysis. This character analysis should focus upon the character’s personality, their motives, their actions and impacts, and their character arc throughout the book. You must include specific examples and quotes from the book.

Vianne Mauriac

Julien Rossignol

Gaëtan Dubois

Rachel de Champlain

Sophia Mauriac

Antoine Mauriac

Paul Levy

Anouk

Character Analysis (Section 2) - Choose ONE characters from Section 2 and write a one paragraph character analysis. This character analysis should focus upon the character’s personality, their motives, their actions and impacts, and their character arc throughout the book. You must include specific examples and quotes from the book.

Isabelle Rossingnol

Captain Wolfgang Beck

Sturmbannführer Von Richter

Sophia Mauriac

Ariel (“Ari”) de Champlain

Henri Navarre

Micheline Babineau

Mother Marie-Therese

Thematic Analysis, Symbols, and Motifs - Choose ONE thematic elements, symbol, or motif from the list and write a one paragraph description of how this thematic element is developed in the book. You need to include specific examples and quotes from the book.

Morality and Choices Made in Wartime

Gender Roles and Women in Wartime

Betrayal

The Nature of Love

Parent-Child Relationships

Trauma and Its Aftermath

The Nightingale

Vianne’s Apple Tree

Edith Cavell

Le Jardin

The Streamer Trunk

Discussion Questions - Choose ONE discussion question from these questions and write a one paragraph response. You need to include specific examples and quotes from the book.

  1. How is the fall of France presented in the novel? Describe the changes that take place in Paris, Carriveau, and throughout France.

  2. Between Vianne and Isabelle, which character do you believe had he correct view on the war, the German occupation, and resistance given their position and their responsibilities?

  3. Much of the historiography of WWII argues that Germans and their collaborationist allies simply followed orders, and if they participated in atrocities, it was only out of fear for their own lives. What does Captain Beck’s character reveal about this concept? Do you agree with this historiography or not?

  4. Is Isabelle wrong to endanger her family by taking such a strong stance against the German occupiers?

  5. Discuss the ways in which occupied nations resisted the German occupation, and how the Germans reacted to that resistance.

  6. Discuss Captain Beck’s presence in the home as an occupier. How does his personality compare to Von Richter’s?

  7. Discuss the difficult choices facing soldiers and French collaborationists in WWII. What did this book and the movie Anthropoid reveal about the problems of occupation and collaboration?

  8. Is Vianne wrong to do whatever it takes to survive?

  9. How is the Holocaust presented in the novel? What does the scene at the Hotel Le Vi demonstrate about participation in the Holocaust? How does this compare to other sources or accounts that you have seen or read?

  10. Describe the life of a WWII survivor. What doe their experiences reveal?