Analysis Of The Novel "The Nightingale": Literary Devices, Themes, And Impact

Literary Analysis For this paper you will analyze an assigned text, which requires you to argue for what the text means and how it should be read. You will support your argument with evidence and examples from the text as well as from scholarly articles of Literary Criticism. Your final paper should be polished. 

Write a well developed essay in which you use analyze the novel we have read in class. Consider how the literary rhetorical strategies of the text contribute to our understanding or experience of the text. How does form convey meaning? What devices are used within the text? What are prominent themes of the novel? How should the text be understood and why? Why is this novel important to consider/ read? What impact does it have? Your essay should exhibit excellent writing techniques (thesis, organization, conventions, content, ideas, etc.) and reflect the techniques taught by the Inquiry textbook. 

Summary of the Novel

One of the most destructive and horrific events that took place in the 20^th century was the Second World War, which even though lasted seven years, has created a deep impact on the lives of those who lived through it. Many people who have survived the war have experienced severe post-war trauma, depression, and psychiatric disturbances, as the war has taken a deep toll on their sanity. There are many literary and art works depicting the horrors and trauma of war. One such literary work is the novel “The Nightingale”, written by Kristin Hannah, in 2015 (Hannah).

This novel depicts the perspective of war and its aftermath, relationships, the differing attitudes of men and women in that time, and sends out a strong message on the futility of war. In this essay, following a summary of the novel, a detailed analysis of the literary devices used in the story, the theme of the novel, and the understanding of the text is made, using quotations from the novel for an enhancement of the analysis. The impact the novel has on the minds of the readers is also discussed. This analysis enables the reader have an insight into the novel “The Nightingale”, and the prosaic play of the author in depicting actual war scenes, as well as the emotions contained in a war front, such as love, betrayal, bravery, gender discrimination, resilience, and resignation.

The novel is set up in the backdrop of the Second World War, where the story of a French family of two completely different sisters, who are estranged from their father, is discussed. The older sister Vienne is married to a soldier, who has left her and her son for the war. Although she struggles to manage alone, she later provides a shelter for all abandoned children, whose parents are made prisoners of concentration camps. However, she is raped and is left pregnant, and her foster son is taken away from her. When the war is over, her husband returns, and they come to terms with the post-war reality. The younger sister Isabelle is an active member of the French Resistance movement, and under the code-name “Nightingale”, she is a major distributor of the anti-Nazi propaganda. She is actively hunted down by the Nazis, and is eventually arrested and is taken to a concentration camp, where she is subjected to brutal conditions. However, even as she survives the war, she reconciles with her sister, share memories, and dies from all the abuse she has endured at the concentration camp. The story ends with Vienne making peace with the post-war conditions, and moving on in life, with her newfound family.

Literary Devices Used in the Story

This novel is based on a war background, and how the same emotions and feelings are perceived before, during, and after the war. Three major themes are incorporated – gender, love, and guilt. The scenes that depict the perception of women in the warfront, the misconception of the Nazi army that a woman could not be the “Nightingale” which was used by Isabelle to her advantage, the unfortunate rape of Vienne, and the difference of handling of the post-war situation by Vienne and her husband are centered around this theme. Vienne’s words

“Men tell stories, Women get on with it…when it was over, we picked up pieces and started our lives over”,

convey the theme of gender differences. The scenes that depict the love Vienne has for her husband, and her feelings for Captain Beck, the love Vienne and Isabelle have for each other, which is expressed only when Isabelle is dying, the motherly love exhibited by Vienne to her children, both biological and foster, are centered around this theme.

“It is not biology that determines fatherhood, it is love”, and “…wounds heal, love lasts”,

convey the theme of love. The scenes that depict the remorse of Vienne when she collaborates with Nazi soldiers, her feelings for Captain Beck, the sisters regret at not seeing eye to eye earlier, the father’s remorse in his last letter, all  are centered around the theme of guilt. Words such as

“I know that grief, like regret, settles into our DNA and remains forever a part of us”

convey the theme of guilt.

In this novel, the author uses a variety of literary devices or narrative techniques to make the story a gripping one with a nostalgic touch (Dallacqua). The setting of the story was in France, during the World War II. The narration was a “fly on the wall” narrative, which gave the perspectives of both Vienne and Isabelle. In the lines

“I am trussed up like a chicken for roasting…I belong to a generation that didn't expect to be protected from every danger.”, and “She's sick and she's been treated badly, but she can't be gone. She had the heart of a lion”,

she uses allusions, wherein she compares the situation with an external element. In the lines

“They think talking about a problem will solve it”

she uses paradox, wherein contradicting elements that are as well true are composed as a single sentence. In the lines,

Themes: Gender, Love, and Guilt

“…All of France? Isabelle felt the air rush out of her lungs… '”You mean this isn't just happening in Paris”…?”,

she uses foreshadowing, where the Isabelle  get a hint on what was going on next, without knowing it fully.

In “You don't reason with men like Hitler.”

She uses diction, emphasizing with the word “reason”, implying that the opinions Hitler had were rigid, and that nothing could be done to change them, however absurd they might seem.

The lines

“…Here” She offered Isabelle a cracked porcelain mug full of steaming black coffee. Real coffee. Isabelle wrapped her hands around the mug and breathed deeply of the familiar, never-again-to-be-taken-for-granted aroma…”

has a vivid imagery, depicting Isabelle’s expressions on inhaling the aroma of coffee. In the lines

“Does one follow a leader blindly?”

the author introduces a literary rhetoric. Rhetoric is a question one asks, not expecting the answer, with the answer implied in the question itself (Walker). In the questions

“Why was it so easy for men in the world to do as they wanted and so difficult for women” and “Did people say things like this to men?”

she highlights the existing gender discrimination.

The novel “The Nightingale” should be understood from the mindset of the generation of the Second World War times, have lived through the trauma, and are struggling to keep up with the rapidly changing world today. The reader makes one ask the rhetorical questions asked by the lead characters to oneself, thereby questioning the purpose of one’s deeds.Each line uttered by the main characters expresses the emotions, feelings, and facts of the times, some which are relevant even today.

“I know what it is like; some images, once seen, can never be forgotten”

depict the trauma of a person who has seen the horrors of the war. Keeping this in mind would enable a better sensitivity of the present generation to the war survivors (Van Creveld). This novel is important in today’s context, as it enables the present generation, who are in a distant timeframe from the war, visualize what actually happened during the Second World War, and how the times have changed. This novel leaves a deep impact on the minds of the readers, as it transports them back in time to the war, and makes them witness the war scenario, the horrors within the concentration camps, the dilemma of love, guilt, trust and betrayal; and the insignificance of the vulnerabilities faced today. It teaches the reader to be sensitive to one’s past and not to get carried away by the fast-moving world today. This novel is an attempt to teach the present generation gratitude, and the importance of peace, so that war is not repeated again. “The Nightingale” is a contemporary masterpiece, as it conveys history in the language of the present.

Conclusion

The Second World War had long ended, but there are many people in this world, who carry the scars of the war even today. However, to a person born in the present generation, the war is history. The present generations of people tend to distance away from the horrors of the past, mostly out of ignorance. This is evident when many of them do not seem to know why there is a memorial for Auschwitz camp victims. This novel aims to bridge the emotional gaps and differences between the two generations, by depicting the war via a story.

Literarily, this novel is a masterpiece, as it depicts raw emotions and horrors with subtlety, yet not beating around the bush. The use of relevant literary devices augments the power of the words the author tries to convey. In the humanistic point of view, the author brings out the human in every character present in the novel, at one point or the other; for example, Isabelle’s soft side was shown in the last stages of her life. The novel intends to let the reader see the human present in very person, whether they present themselves as good or evil according to the circumstances. One of the main focuses of the author is to reiterate the importance of peace on earth. Even after facing two major world wars, numerous civil wars and uprisings all over the globe, there are people who still root for war. This novel hopes to drive the message of the horrors of war, and the difficulties faced by those who survive the war, in order to establish peace.

References 

Dallacqua, Ashley K. "Exploring literary devices in graphic novels." Language Arts (2012): 365-378.

Hannah, Kristin. The Nightingale. UK: Pan Macmillan, 2015.

Van Creveld, Martin. The culture of war. Tantor Audio, 1989.

Walker, J. "Rhetoric and Poetics." The International Encyclopedia of Communication (2008).