The Room on Rue Amélie

The Room on Rue Amélie explores the impact of everyday heroism, illustrating the ways in which different people can contribute to a war effort on the front lines or while still living civilian lives. Thomas, Ruby, Charlotte, and various others take responsibility upon themselves to fight for their country and their beliefs in different ways.

Thomas discovers the importance of the secret civilian Resistance networks when he crashes in the French countryside and is forced to rely on the compassion of strangers to survive. When the farmer Claude tells Thomas, “We are going to win this war, and we need men like you to do it,” Thomas responds, “And men like you” (146). In this moment, Thomas acknowledges that heroism comes in many forms: He realizes that it is not just people in the army who will secure a victory against the Nazis but also people like Claude who help from behind the lines. Later, Ruby has a similar experience when she’s on the run from the work camp and meets a German couple who cares for her until her daughter is born. Ruby and Charlotte also become actively involved in the Resistance by helping pilots like Thomas escape back to Britain after crash-landing.