The Paris Agent

As the SOE agents make grievous sacrifices for their cause, Rimmer suggests that while each agent is wise enough to have understood these sacrifices before they accepted their mission, no sacrifice is made without regret. For example, the relationship between Josie and Noah demonstrates the contrast between expectations and reality, for Josie must sacrifice the prospect of a happy romantic relationship to succeed in her mission. After being partnered with Noah for the second time, she becomes aware of the limitations in their relationship. Working together to destroy the munitions factory requires the utmost concentration, but Josie and Noah cannot restrain their feelings for each other. Likewise, Noah’s excitement at falling in love is contrasted with his disenchantment with the state of the world, for he states, “It’s like the rules are topsy-turvy and sometimes I just can’t make sense of it” (242). War thus converts optimists into pessimists and although Josie and Noah do not regret their contributions to the war effort, they do regret the personal costs that they must pay. 

Eloise experiences a parallel process of being motivated by virtuous idealism before she is devastated by reality. Rimmer emphasizes the fact that Eloise uses her desire to reunite with her son as the motivation that enables her survival. As Eloise muses, “My boys would never be far from my mind, nor could they be front and center. I could not afford to lose focus” (50). However, this motivation proves to be excruciating in application, for as she watches an anonymous caregiver interacting with her son Hughie, she feels that a painful combination of “jealousy and gratitude were at war in [her] gut” (195).

Eloise often perceives short-term discomfort as necessary for long-term success. When forced to share a train carriage with German soldiers, for example, she forces herself to exude an air of amiability “by reminding [her]self that [she] was playing along with the charade so that later, [she] could wreak havoc upon these men and everything they stood for” (50). Though she hates socializing with the Germans, Eloise placates herself by imagining what she can achieve if she plays the long game. Eloise frequently encounters situations that force her to work towards long-term strategies rather than expressing the anger that would enable short-term satisfaction.

Eloise is forced to make additional internal sacrifices because her inherent beauty attracts considerable unwanted attention. On several occasions, she uses this to her advantage by flirting to distract the enemy. However, Rimmer does not glamorize these occasions, emphasizing instead the disgust that Eloise feels at pursuing unwanted proximity. When she is forced to silently comply with the guard who threatens the disabled father, she imagines killing the guard; however, this short-term emotional release would cause long-term damage to her mission. By outlining Eloise’s frequent pep talks and inner struggles, Rimmer suggests that it is more challenging to keep the long-term ideological goal in mind when the short-term options could yield immediate physical results. At the beginning of their missions, each SOE agent understands the terms and conditions of working towards long-term goals. However, they must progressively abandon more aspects of their identity to forge themselves into effective agents.