Julia Harmond is a perfect example of a person who wants to remember all the victims of one of the worst moments in French history. She really feels and cares about all the victims, especially Sarah. There are many times in
the novel where she shows example of sympathy such as the multiple times she discusses her disgust about the new apartment she is supposed to move into. This is a pure example of how she feels about the sensitive topic of The Holocaust. Another person who refuses to forget is Eduoard or Bertrand’s Dad. He tells himself that he will never forget about the events or Sarah for the rest of his life.
Many characters or groups of people want to forget the horrific events. Most of the French community want to forget about those dark times. They feel guilty for what the French police did. Bertrand has no interest in the events and just wants Julia to forget about it because he doesn’t care about it. Also, Sarah Starzynski wants to forget about it. She does not tell anyone about her past history after she creates a new life for herself. She even fails to mention it to her own son, William.
Sympathy is given all over the book. The most sympathy is given to Sarah. She goes through a tremendous journey and it is hard not to feel bad for her. William is another character that people can emotionally feel for. He doesn’t even know the true story about his own mother. Julia has an extremely tough time finding out information about the mystery family that lived in the apartment. She puts a lot of effort in to find Sarah and discovers the truth, but she ends up finding out that Sarah died 30 years earlier.
The tragic events of the 1942 will always be remembered in the eyes of some of the characters. It was a sad time period that most people want to forget, but remembrance is an important thing. Sarah and her journey will always be remembered through many people including her son, Julia and Eduoard. Sarah and her dark secrets will never be forgotten.