“Just remember: we are not defined by our mistakes…but by what we do after we’ve learned from them.”

Grandmére and Julian commiserate about regrets they both have, prompting her to say this. While Grandmére means this in context of Julian’s and her own past, these words hint to a larger theme explored in the book—the need for humanity to learn and grow from its history.

“…those were dark times, yes…but what has stayed with me the most…is not the darkness…but the light.”

Grandmère chooses to share her story with Julian, even though it is difficult for her to talk about. Along with wanting Julian’s generation to know about the past, she also wants to share the kindnesses she experienced during those “dark times.” This is what saw her through, supporting the idea that kindness can be truly lifesaving.

“In the winter, the Mernuit was a dark and scary place. There were many legends, going back centuries, about giant wolves that roamed the woods. They came and went with the fog.”

The Mernuit forest, which bordered Sara’s village, serves as an important setting in the book. It witnessed many escapes, successful (Sara escaped Vincent) and unsuccessful (the maquisard and the Jewish schoolchildren were apprehended; Julien and his fellow prisoners were killed). The forest symbolizes human nature, housing both miraculous things (symbolized by the bluebells), as well as extreme cruelty (symbolized by the wolf).