Love

In Mathilde and Manech’s relationship, the author shows the enduring nature of true love. In fact, this story proves that love can even outlast the grave. After Mathilde is told of Manech’s death in battle, she is still determined to marry him. There were many young women left behind during World War I who were known as white widows; they were engaged but not married before the war took their men. Many of these white widows sought to marry their fiancés posthumously. Mathilde seeks this route as well, but she goes a step farther, refusing to believe that Manech is really gone. She never forgets her love for him and spends all her time looking for him. When she finds him, she realizes that he has complete amnesia and does not even know who she is. As it turns out, her Manech is deceased; he...