The Only Woman in the Room

As a piece of historical fiction, the historical elements of the text are frequently present and incredibly significant. To parallel the workings of real political movements, the machinations of WW2 are initially nuanced in the text; so much so, that Hedy does not realize that she is living under a dictatorship until her father breaks down the workings of power in Western Europe. Hedy’s naivete on this matter is not used against her but instead intentionally designed to demonstrate the ways the path towards war and authoritarian regimes often occur without the general public realizing it at first; these deals are made well beyond the vision of the public eye, and the changes that take hold are gradual and subtle at first. By the time Hedy and the country understand the true impact of Hitler and Mussolini’s rise to power, it is too late to prevent it.

This motif serves two purposes. The first being the prescriptions of the genre; imbuing the text with the events of WW2 is essential to the narrative and upholds the expectations of the historical fiction genre. The second being that wartime politics work to accelerate the thematic elements of the text; crises habitually heighten existing social tensions, thus emphasizing the existent antisemitism and gender inequality that obstructs Hedy’s goals. Wars perpetuate patriarchal gender norms by creating an environment in which traditional masculinity—and its entanglements with violence—are prized, while traditional femininity—and its entanglements with docility—is only valued in its ability to support its counterpart.

Therefore, the obstacles Hedy faces on the basis of her sex are greater because of the war; her attempts to cross gender conventions by directly contributing to the war effort are rejected because her efforts aren’t perceived as valuable as the men’s efforts. When the council says, “stick to your films,” they really mean, “leave the work to the men” (236). This motif increases the sense of urgency for action, making Hedy’s rejection more tragic—and even ridiculous. As the narrative emphasizes the death and destruction borne of the war, it reveals that the systems in place that keep women from meaningfully contributing to the war effort only prolong suffering.