The nightingale

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a wonderful book based on war. It is the story of two strong sisters who fight in their own way. The novel begins with a regular introduction to the lives of sisters Vianne and Isabelle. Isabelle, the youngest, is a rebellious girl and people believe she will cause trouble. The Nazis slowly started taking over France, but the changes were too sudden to cope with. Despite everything, we find families holding onto the hope of meeting their loved ones, and that hope led many people to fight for those they cherished. 

The uncertainties of life and the fear of the unknown remained present in the hearts of the people.

The title of the novel itself signifies the sisters, who are named Rossignol, which means Nightingale in English. The name Nightingale also serves as Isabelle's code name. Jews were the targets of abuse. Women and children were deported simply because they were not born in France, and it was the French soldiers who initiated the move.

At the heart of this novel lies the relationship between family members and loved ones, and the sacrifices they make for each other. Vianne, as a mother, always tried to keep her daughter safe  both physically and emotionally. Yet with time, her daughter grew beyond her years, learning about restrictions, loss of freedom, and death. As days passed, mothers were separated from their children and sent to camps, losing their homes and displaced in unknown places, yet still looking forward to freedom.

In the end, many people died and vanished, many remained missing, and countless children were left orphaned. Isabelle came home, but she was no longer the same girl she was a lost and broken woman, almost dying. She waited and waited for her lover, who had promised to return. The day he finally did, she died in his arms, surrounded by her family.

This novel taught me the value of life and the people surrounding us. One beautiful quote among many others that struck me deeply was:

"Some stories don't have happy endings. Even love stories. Maybe especially love stories."

Waiting makes the letter more precious

 

Letters were once an important source of communication. It was crucial for both parents, relatives and even lovers. Many love stories behind letters. Current technology has made life easier but the thrill of waiting for someone special to send a long message would be far more precious. We also find our parents have letters that they still preserve. Those might be some ordinary words for us but they carry a lot of meaning and stories behind them. Letters exchanged among parents and children are also precious as it contains the love and longing they have for each other. 

The short story "The Letter" by Dhumaketu talks about a father waiting for a letter from his daughter. This short story is a translated work from Gujarati language. The writer whose real name is Gowrishankar Govardhan has published over twenty-four collections of short stories. He also wrote twenty-five historical novels and criticism essays.

This story is about a man named Ali who was a hunter later he left his old hunting life, but his daughter was married off to Punjab and for the next five years he went to the post office regularly waiting for his daughter's letter. Despite harsh weather conditions he went and waited patiently at the post office.  People made fun of him as he daily had to leave empty-handed but it never discouraged him. He had faith and he strongly believed that his daughter  would send him the letters and that kept him strong. He never got the letter when he was alive but still, there was a letter addressed to him.

There are two fathers mentioned in the short story. The one who never understood the pain of waiting in the beginning and made fun of Ali but towards the end he too had to wait for the letter from his daughter which led him to connect to the emotions of Ali. This short story shows the love of a father and the faith and trust he has in his child till the end.