A common perception has been held for centuries that during wartime, women stay at home, while the men go out and fight. In the United States we are taught that American women were indispensable during World War II, performing the jobs which the absent men could not. What we are not commonly informed of however, is that during the conflict, thousands of European women fought alongside men in the trenches, and acted as spies and agents, risking their lives to resist the Axis power. This will be the subject of a project I am working on, a Graphic Novel devoted to the struggles of women during World War II.
My story will be set in France, A country against itself; a population reeling from the devastation of World War I accepted and even praised the surrender to the invading Germans, unaware of the imminent cruelty of the new administration. Led by Marshal Petain, a former hero of "The Great War," the new government rejected the egalitarian principles of the former republic, establishing in its place a regime in collusion with Germany, while enslaving their own and launching a ferocious campaign to eliminate the Jewish presence in France.
From this confusion of relief, shame and denial, small underground networks emerged, dedicated to espionage and quiet resistance. A staggering number of these resistance fighters were women, who crossed hundreds of miles to deliver communiques, igniting and supporting revolt within the cities, as well as informing and inspiring the guerrilla soldiers of the wilderness. Acting as spies and liaisons, these women faced unimaginable dangers. If they were captured by the Germans or those who allied with them, they would be tried as spies and tortured to extract information.
Our Heroine, Mariette, will head a revolt of her own while collaborating with famous historical figures, searching for her family who have been taken to an unknown concentration camp high in the Pyrenees. Along the way, she will come to terms with the lessons taught by her parents, and establish her own beliefs and convictions as to the nature of patriotism, honor, loyalty and love- a realization of self set against the backdrop of war.
I will use multiple accounts by real female soldiers and resistance fighters to build an original character which represents voices which have been relatively silent in the shadow of the larger historiography of World War II. The book will follow the precocious young Mariette as she works her way through a multitude of conflicts, acting as spy, sniper, and resistance fighter to aid her beloved country. The book will be as historically accurate as possible, while also lending the same dramatic flair that pervades such epics as "Enemy at the Gates," or "Saving Private Ryan." The book will also address many of the issues of that time surrounding trauma, and the horrors that are inherent in warfare- issues that are also pertinent today. Drawing from works such as Margaret Collins Weitz's "Sisters in the Resistance," or Dave Grossman's harrowing psychological study, "On Killing," I hope to write a story that is both informed and informative on the topic of the deeply traumatic human experience of War. This book will be a first among many- graphic novels which offer the young men and women of today a more diverse history, one which honors the sacrifices of both men and women who fought in one of the greatest conflicts of history, while also questioning many of our own perceptions of history, and the human condition.
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