The Rose Code

“War meant change.”

This quote serves as a thematic thesis statement for The Rose Code, which goes on to explore various changes brought on or accelerated by the war. These changes include social, economic, and personal effects. After the war ends, some of these effects remain, while others lapse into their former state.

“Everyone was saying that now, Osla had observed. Milk run out? There’s a war on! Ladder in your stockings? There’s a war on!”

The phrase, “There’s a war on,” which recurs throughout the novel, serves as a frequent reminder of the ways in which the war touches the everyday lives of the novel’s characters. Typically issued as a call to accept a less-than-ideal situation, the phrase reveals the communal mindset taken on by English citizens united under a single cause. This powerful social pressure can also take a negative toll on those who, like Harry, contribute to the war effort in less visible ways.

“How many men who had fought in the war now sat reading their morning newspapers without realizing the woman sitting across the jam-pots from them had fought, too? Maybe the ladies of BP hadn’t faced bullets or bombs, but they’d fought—oh yes, they’d fought.”

Since BP staff are drawn from those not fighting at the front lines, women constitute a disproportionately high percentage of the workers. Their vow of secrecy, however, prevents them from public recognition for their work, exacerbating trends observed elsewhere in the novel of women’s contributions being underappreciated compared to those of men. This quote contextualizes the anonymity of the women who completed such essential high stakes work within a domestic framework.