54 pages • 1-hour read
The Night War
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Symbols & Motifs
Gardens
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and religious discrimination.
Lush gardens are established as a motif that denotes comfort and plenty. In particular, Miri is drawn to gardens that yield abundant fresh produce, as she lives in a time of scarcity and privation under wartime rationing. This hasn’t always been the case for Miri. She recalls their comfortable home in Berlin: “We’d have green space and beautiful things” (8). In Paris, she is lucky to find a single tomato to buy, whereas, in Berlin, Miri recalls that her family grew plentiful tomatoes: “I used to pick the tomatoes in our garden hot from the sun and eat them like apples, their juice running down my chin” (5). This image conveys warm, relaxed summers of plentiful food. On the other hand, in their small Paris apartment, the family has a single potted geranium, which they cherish. Their changed circumstances are symbolized in the difference between a plentiful garden bursting with tomatoes and a single pot plant.
Miri is overjoyed to find the convent garden; she notices the reminiscent smell of plants and soil: “A hot, heavy smell rose from them, one I remembered from our garden in Berlin, the pungent smell of soil and tomato plants in sun” (39). Tellingly, Miri feels comforted by the garden: “For the first time in days, I felt myself relax” (39).
As well as reminding her of her home and family, the garden means that Miri will have plentiful, fresh food. She is overjoyed with the bounty from the kitchen garden. She eats the raspberries rapturously, and the taste transports her to her past when food was plentiful: “I thought I’d forgotten the sweet tart juicy taste of raspberries, but I hadn’t. I remembered. I felt like crying all over again, this time from a strange combination of happiness and memory” (89).
Yiddish and Hebrew
Yiddish and Hebrew words are a recurring motif. At some moments in the novel, this motif connects to the theme of The Cumulative Horrors of Antisemitic Prejudice and Genocide, as knowledge of these languages denotes Jewish identity and therefore puts Miri and the other Jewish girls at risk. This is clear in the moment in the dormitory when Miri wakes up the other girls by yelling in Yiddish in her sleep. Elodie then accidentally risks her own exposure by correctly identifying the language: “In the far corner, Elodie pulled her thumb from her mouth. ‘They were Yiddish,’ she said. Beatrice’s head swiveled round. Elodie’s eyes widened. She looked suddenly terrified” (114).
Elodie’s terror illustrates the risk of being a Jew in occupied France during 1942, the year when Jews were publicly rounded up and deported. Being exposed as a Jew could mean a death sentence for Miri, Beatrice, and Elodie, and they live their lives in fear of being discovered. This fear manifests differently for the girls. Beatrice is strict and demonstrative in her adherence to the Catholic faith, whereas Elodie is quiet and tearful. Miri finds it impossible to disguise this part of herself and accidentally speaks and prays aloud a few times, much to Beatrice’s alarm.
At other times in the novel, Miri’s language is connected to the theme of Jewish Identity as a Source of Strength. Words connected to her Jewish faith and identity bring Miri a sense of calm, as is illustrated when she prays silently to help her sleep: “I rolled onto my back and recited the Shema in my head until I slid into sleep” (114). When the girls finally speak in Yiddish together at the novel’s conclusion, their language becomes a unifying and strengthening symbol of resistance: “‘You’ve been very brave,’ I said to her. ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God—’ ‘The Lord is one,’ said Elodie” (152). The girls assert their right to their own faith and language, as well as their right to live in freedom from persecution.
Monsieur Thireau’s Cruelty
Monsieur Thireau’s changing behavior toward Miri symbolizes the increasing discrimination against Jews in Paris throughout the course of 1942. In Chapter 2, Monsieur Thireau’s kind, friendly manner toward Miri illustrates tolerance of French Jews and Jewish refugees from Germany, despite the Nazi occupation: “‘You’re Miriam, yes?’ he said, smiling” (11). Monsieur Thireau catches Miri when she trips, suggesting that he cares about her well-being.
French policy changes drastically as 1942 progresses, which is reflected in the behavior of Monsieur Thireau, a gendarme—a French policeman. French police are responsible for the ruthless roundup of Jews from the Pletzl. The violence and cruelty of the roundup are characterized by Monsieur Thireau slapping Miri in the face: “I said, ‘You’re Thomas’s father. I’m Miri. Miriam. Remember me? Last week—’ ‘Quiet!’ he shouted. Then he slapped me, hard” (17).
This is a significant change in Monsieur Thireau’s manner toward Miri. Thireau’s unprovoked aggression and participation in the roundup symbolize the collusion of French authorities and police with systemic antisemitism, which led to the murder of millions of Jewish people.
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