The War I Finally Won

“I walked to the station like a regular girl. Right foot, left foot.”

Ada’s elation at walking like a regular girl illustrates how severely Mam demonized her for her clubfoot. Her corrective surgery gives her more confidence, although she internalized much of her mother’s hateful shame and still feels only “like” a regular girl. It will take more careful nurturing from Susan to help Ada feel more comfortable in public spaces.

“Susan gave me the bedroom at the top of the stairs. A whole bedroom all on my own”

For most of her life, Ada was forced to share a tiny flat with her Mam and Jamie. Mam was abusive, prohibiting her from leaving the flat and sometimes locking her in a tiny cupboard as punishment. For Ada, having a bedroom to call her own provides her with a huge sense of independence and freedom.

“I was running, actually running, and it was so much fun I laughed aloud.”

Ada was not given the opportunity to be a child. Instead, she was subjected to horrific abuse and feels constantly responsible for Jamie’s well-being. Her joyful running and laughing shows that her corrective surgery allows her to enjoy some of the childhood experiences she previously missed, like the freedom to run outside.

“It was a joy to settle the saddle onto Butter’s back, to tighten the girth around him, to slide the bit into his mouth and buckle the bridle around his head.”

Butter, in addition to being Ada’s beloved pet, becomes a symbol of freedom. Riding him gave her a sense of exhilaration and independence when she could not properly walk. Her joy at being reunited with him speaks to this sense of freedom.

“We’d invited three pilots from the airfield to share our dinner. They were all dead now.”

Ada realizes that all three of their guests from Christmas the year before, pilots in the British Air Force, are now dead. This illustrates the massive loss of life experienced during the war. The deaths of these pilots especially highlights the danger of this line of work and foreshadows Jonathan Thorton’s later demise, shot down in his spitfire over the English Channel.

“It’s my job to take care of him. Not yours.”

Ada tries to tell Susan that as Jamie’s older sister, it is her responsibility to make sure he is all right after he breaks his arm. Susan must repeatedly insist that, as the adult in the situation, it is Susan’s job to care for Jamie. This illustrates Ada’s difficulty accepting her role as a child because for so many years she did not have a capable or loving adult to parent her. When a capable adult finally arrives, in the form of Susan, it is difficult for Ada to relinquish control and trust that everything will be all right.

“What would I do with a doll? Dress it and talk to it and pretend I’d been like the little girls on our lane?”

Ada is overcome with anger when Susan gives her a homemade doll as a Christmas present. This seemingly incongruent reaction can be attributed to a childhood characterized by neglect. Ada remembers life as a younger child, friendless and with no possessions or toys, and knows she would have treasured this toy back then. But now she feels that it’s too late, that she’s too old, and the doll only reminds her of everything she once lacked.

“Transfer of ownership: the pony named Butter, from Susan Elisabeth Smith to Ada Marie Smith. December 26, 1940.”

Susan listens to Ada’s explanation about why the doll upset her and then replaces it with Butter’s ownership papers. While the doll reminded Ada of her lonely and traumatic past, Butter reminds her of happier times in Kent and the power and freedom she feels while riding. Susan’s calm acceptance of Ada’s anger (despite the considerable time and effort making the doll likely took) illustrates her kind and compassionate nature. Furthermore, her second gift illustrates how well she understands Ada’s needs.

“I will not have a German in this house.”

When Ruth arrives at the cottage with Lord Thorton, Lady Thorton is immediately outraged. To her, it is inconceivably unpatriotic to house a German when Britain is at war with Germany. Furthermore, her son Jonathan is in the air force, engaged in active combat against German pilots and under threat from German anti-aircraft artillery. She feels it would be disloyal to Jonathan to house Ruth. However, Lord Thorton insists on Ruth staying at the cottage, which is the beginning of much tension in the household.

“I hate Hitler as much as you do.”

Ruth explains to Ada that, although she is German, Hitler is also her enemy. Ada is ignorant of the situation in Germany and too suspicious of Ruth to properly hear or understand her explanation. Instead, Ada continues to treat Ruth with hostility.

“A German at Thorton House! When there’s war work being done there!”

Ruth asks Ada if she can come to the stables with her, but Lady Thorton is appalled at the idea of Ruth being near the stables or the house. Though Ruth is merely 16 years old, and though she left Germany before the war started, Lady Thorton is extremely mistrustful of her. Ruth’s freedoms are constantly limited by Lady Thorton, who feels she is fulfilling her patriotic duty by doing so.

“The day after our fire-watch she took everyone’s ration books, including Ruth’s, and spent two weeks’ worth of meat coupons on one pound of lamb.”

Lady Thorton’s privileged upbringing did not prepare her for the scarcity of wartime living. Susan is livid when she finds out that Lady Thorton spent so many rations on a relatively small amount of lamb when there are five mouths to feed (and three of them children). This incident highlights Lady Thorton’s ignorance and lack of practicality.

“Mail delivered to a German in my house!”

Lady Thorton confiscates and opens Ruth’s mail, feeling that it is her duty to ensure Ruth is not communicating about anything relevant to the war effort. Ruth is affronted and devastated by the violation of her privacy. This incident highlights the fact that Lady Thorton cannot see beyond the fact that Ruth is German and thus, in her mind, an enemy.

“Susan made me sit at the table until I’d written the sentence ‘I will not continue to conflate lack of intelligence with lack of knowledge’ one hundred times.”

Ada is ignorant about many topics, as her Mam never allowed her to go to school. Although Susan has now taken on the task of her education, there are many things that Ada still does not know. Ada is first embarrassed and then angry at not knowing that dragons are imaginary. She sulkily says that she is stupid. Susan aims to teach Ada that she is not stupid, she’s merely still learning about the world. This lesson illustrates that Susan is loving but firm and determined to challenge Ada’s low self-esteem.

“I never thought of shin bones as something people actually ate.”

At Susan’s insistence that they must all start to contribute more, Lady Thorton helps Ada do the shopping. The household consists of a blend of individuals from radically different backgrounds: Lady Thorton was raised among wealth and decadence, and can barely conceive of Ada and Jamie’s childhood. Lady Thorton did not know that people ate shin bones, an inexpensive cut of meat, whereas Ada explains that they could never afford them. Lady Thorton must learn how to pull her weight in the household, and in doing so, she must confront her own ignorance.

“He looked tired down to his bones. Whenever he was still, his face fell into tense and anxious lines.”

Jonathan’s gaunt face and anxiety demonstrate the stress inherent with being a wartime pilot with the air force. As much as he tries to shield the household from his fear and exhaustion, it is clearly evident to Ada. His tense fatigue foreshadows his later death.

“We had to leave all our money and everything we owned behind […] We had to leave my grandmother behind.”

Ruth tearfully speaks of fleeing Germany, losing all status and rights, and leaving behind possessions and family. Previously, most of the household (except Susan) and the village viewed Ruth with hostility and suspicion. Jonathan’s sympathy and interest in her family’s experiences provide an important turning point, as Ruth is presented as a victim, not as an enemy.

“I’m going to the stables... Want to come?”

Ada invites Ruth to come to the stables. This is a significant turning point in their relationship, as Ada perceives their shared humanity rather than seeing Ruth as an enemy. It also highlights Ada’s empathy, as Ada recognizes Ruth’s suffering and loneliness and wants to help her.

“I was flying! It was the best, most joyful feeling in the world.”

In Jonathan’s final visit, Ada gallops on Oban. Ada’s pony Butter has long symbolized freedom and happiness for Ada, and when she gallops on the thoroughbred Oban, she experiences this feeling even more powerfully. It is a special moment for Ada, one in which she feels powerful, free, and happy. It inspires Jonathan, who decides that he wants to name his plane “Invincible Ada.”

“His plane blew up over the English Channel […] They won’t recover his body.”

Jonathan Thorton’s tragic death rocks the household. It validates the fear that he was clearly experiencing the evening he visited. His death feels inconceivable to Ada, since she last saw him so recently, and he had seemed so full of life.

“I hope you’d be willing to exercise him for me. He does best when he’s ridden every day.”

Lady Thorton asks Ruth to exercise Oban for her, after Ruth’s quick thinking and determined efforts to save Oban’s life. This is a significant gesture coming from Lady Thorton, who finds it even harder to accept Ruth’s presence after Jonathan’s death. This offer, which Ruth is grateful for, demonstrates that Ruth is becoming a more accepted member of the household and the village.

“Did you see her face? Did you see how brave she was? […] That’s what we’re fighting for. That kind of courage. We can’t get beat, not when we’re fighting for the spirit of England.”

Ada inspires Jonathan when she bravely and joyously clings to Oban despite her inexperience as a rider. He later conjures this image in remembering what they are fighting for: They are fighting for the freedom of their country, for children like Ada. This becomes a source of inspiration for him; he plans to have it painted on the tail of his plane but dies before he can do so. For this reason, Lord and Lady Thorton give Oban to Ada.

“I cried like I might never stop. All the tears I hadn’t cried for a whole week came out in one long flood.”

The depth of Ada’s love for Susan is illustrated in her distress when Susan is sick with pneumonia and in her immense relief when Susan begins to recover. Ada finds it difficult to accept love and to show love in socially acceptable ways. Ada’s love for Susan is made clear through the intensity of her emotions.