The Room on Rue Amélie

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s depictions of antisemitism, pregnancy loss, concentration camps, and wartime violence.

“Ruby took a deep breath and said the bravest thing she’d ever said to a man.”

Ruby sees the simple act of taking a leap of faith as an act of courage, as she initiates her love affair with Marcel. It’s worth noting that across the novel Ruby is characterized by her bravery, a trait which is first established in this scene.

“Charlotte was startled to realize that the voice belonged to a woman. Had Monsieur Benoit taken a mistress? While Ruby was pregnant? Icy anger coursed through Charlotte’s veins.”

Although Charlotte is still young this early in the novel, this moment illustrates the protectiveness she feels toward Ruby and the strong bond they already have. Her reaction to Marcel’s perceived dishonesty is one of several examples of Charlotte’s need to care for and protect those she loves, reflecting The Nature of Love During a Crisis.

“She stared at him for a long time. What had she seen in him when their eyes first met across that cafe in New York? What had made her so sure that he was worth giving up her life for? She could hardly remember anymore.”

At this point, Ruby is beginning to mature out of her previous idealistic innocence, realizing that she and Marcel are not as compatible as she first believed. This moment of introspection illustrates how she is becoming more self-aware and taking stock of the choices she has made so far. Her attention to the place where her adventure began—New York—also highlights the way the geographical distance she has crossed acts as a metaphor for the emotional distance she has traveled.