63 pages • 2 hours read
Martha Hall KellyLilac Girls
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaSymbols & Motifs
Lilacs
The title of the novel hints at the importance of lilacs as a symbol. Lilacs are undoubtedly the most important image that Kelly presents to the reader. The lilacs also represent the lasting ideology that the author wishes to impart on the reader. Kasia marvels at Caroline’s lilacs when they are in Connecticut. She has “never seen lilacs in such colors, from deep aubergine—almost black—to the palest lavender” (390). The differing colors of the lilacs undoubtedly speak to the diverse types of women that Kelly as written about in her novel. Although their stories are dissimilar, they are all intertwined because of the war. Their choices have led them on separate paths, but they have all suffered and survived nonetheless.
Caroline explains the meaning of the lilacs to Kasia, telling her “that a lilac only blossoms only after a harsh winter” (392). Caroline marvels at the wonder of the lilac flower: “It’s a miracle all this beauty emerges after such hardship, don’t you think?” (393). Kasia and Caroline are both emotional at the implications; they both identify with the lilac flower. The lilac thus symbolizes Caroline, Kasia, and Zuzanna in particular; unlike Herta, they remain kind and beautiful in spite of the pain they suffered. Caroline gives Kasia some of her lilacs so that she might plant some in Lublin. Kasia does exactly that: “Past our old pink sliver of a house where, at Felka’s grave in the backyard, Caroline’s lilacs had already taken root, on their way to growing into the prettiest, strongest plant” (423).
The image of the lilacs growing upon Felka’s grave is a poignant one. Felka, Nadia’s dog, dies on her old master’s doorstep after continuing to return to it day after day. The lilacs growing upon Felka’s grave is paradoxically a reminder both about the dangers of living in the past and the necessity of embracing it to prepare for the future.
Ignorance
Considering the topics Kelly tackles in Lilac Girls, ignorance is a common motif in the novel. From the anti-Semitism of the Nazis to the xenophobia of isolationist Americans, Kelly covers the multitudes of ignorance that the characters must have faced during this time. Caroline is a rich New York socialite who has a penchant for finding charity projects with which to devote her time. Although Caroline often appears knowledgeable and worldly, Kelly often reminds the reader how little Caroline knows. Caroline is undoubtedly a champion of equality and has even stood up to both Mr. Snyder and David for their ignorance.
In response to Snyder’s anti-Semitism, for example, Caroline says: “This country was founded on principles of equality and fairness, and you would do well to remember that” (172). Despite this, Caroline seems to know little about the lives of the people she attempts to help. The Madame at the orphanage tells Caroline, for example: “We need money, Miss Ferriday, not Ovaltine” (292). Caroline’s own wealthy background is thus often a hindrance to her understanding of the suffering of others. Caroline commits a similar mistake when she tries to get the Polish women to accept gifts of cookies, chocolates, and handbags. In Caroline’s eagerness to help, she often overlooks the feelings of those she helps. Kasia says as much to Caroline, snapping:
We are ladies, Miss Ferriday. Ladies who don’t all like being called Rabbits—easily frightened, caged animals. Ladies who live in a country where we cannot accept gifts. Is this not obvious to you? A new handbag from an American? People disappear for a lot less. A Polish journalist accepted chocolates from an American, and no one has heard from her since (368).
Caroline is suitably cowed by Kasia’s words. Caroline nonetheless continues to push more than the recipients of her help would like. She realizes this at Zuzanna’s wedding when Kasia writes that she will be going to look for Herta alone. Caroline’s ignorance, although unintentional, has the capacity to hurt the very people that she tries to help. In contrast to the malicious ignorance and prejudice contrasted by the Nazis, Caroline presents a kind of unknowing that is open to learning and growing.
Halina’s Engagement Ring
Halina’s engagement ring is a recurring motif throughout the book. Present both at the beginning of the novel and at the end, it has a multitude of different meanings, one of which is the cyclical nature of time. The ring is lost and returned to Kasia in a similar fashion. From the moment “Binz spat on the ring again and finally twisted it off” (143) to the instant Kasia “spat on the ring and worked the band back and forth” (422) to release it from Herta’s finger, the Kuzmerick family is missing a vital part of its history.
The ring has a great importance in Kasia’s family: “As children, when crossing the road, Zuzanna and [Kasia] had always fought over who got to hold Matka’s hand that wore that ring. The pretty hand” (34). The ring thus also represents the resilience and continuation of their bloodline and the strength of their family. It is a particularly valuable piece of jewelry, important not because of its material worth but for its emotional meaning.
Halina loses the ring twice. She loses it to Binz first and then to Herta, who steals it to wear for herself. Herta thinks to herself:
I removed Halina’s ring, the one I’d taken from the files in the Effektenkammer, where prisoner property was stored, and secreted it in my pocket. [...] I would give the ring back to Halina one day. Such a pretty diamond. If I hadn’t rescued it, there was no telling where it might have ended up (191).
Although Herta convinces herself that she steals the ring only for the beauty of it, the reader knows the doctor’s true intentions. Herta’s feelings for Halina are complicated. Herta has little to no emotions or remorse for everything that she has done at the camp, however, she has “acute anxiety” (237) after Halina’s death and does not leave her bed for several days. Herta also tells Kasia that she would bring Halina back if she could, the closest thing to remorse that the readers see from her. The ring represents Halina herself as well; Herta has no right to Halina or to ring, yet she keeps it anyway. Herta is complicit in Halina’s death. Kasia is only able to find closure when Herta relinquishes both the story of Halina’s death and her ring. Only then is Kasia’s mother returned to her and only then is she able to move on with her life.
