The War I Finally Won

Ruth’s arrival at the cottage means that Ada, Jamie, and Lady Thorton must adjust their perception of what an enemy is, which requires considerable maturity and reflection. “The Germans,” referred to as a homogeneous group, are the cause of the destruction of much of London and Susan’s old cottage, and they are responsible for the deaths of so many beloved friends and family members, including Jonathan Thorton.

Furthermore, the British public has been told to be on high alert for any signs of German spies, one of whom Ada refers to reporting in this novel’s prequel, The War That Saved My Life. As a result, wartime anti-German sentiment is strong. Lord Thorton tries to explain to his wife, Lady Thorton, that Ruth’s family is Jewish and therefore not enemies of Britain. Lady Thorton, who clearly has no knowledge of Hitler’s genocidal program, retorts that “[a] German is a German is a German” (125).

Ruth, a quiet and traumatized young Jewish girl who fled Germany with her parents at the start of the war, challenges the household’s stereotyped perception of Germans as ruthless and bloodthirsty spies and killers. Ada learns about Judaism and wonders, “If Ruth believed in a different God from Hitler, did Hitler and I believe in the same God?” (142).