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The overall theme of this journal is the brokenness and loneliness caused by the war and how those affected repaired themselves from the damage.

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“But the truth is that I’m gloomy--gloomier than I ever was during the war. Everything is so broken, Sophie: the roads, the buildings, the people. Especially the people” (7).

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“But the truth is that I’m gloomy--gloomier than I ever was during the war. Everything is so broken, Sophie: the roads, the buildings, the people. Especially the people” (7).

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In her letter to her closest friend Sophie, who is in Scotland, Juliet describes how she feels about post-war London. She explains that she is gloomier now than she ever was before the war because the city around her is broken. She uses the term “broken” both literally and figuratively. The roads and buildings are literally broken from destruction from the war. But the people are “broken” in spirit. The war was a burden on the city and its impact did not end once the war itself ended. The things the people witnessed, the lives that were lost, the constant fear of death, and the uncertain state that people lived in left a mark on their hearts.

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“Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively time--we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside” (51).

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“Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively time--we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside” (51).

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In her letter to Juliet, Society member Amelia Maugery reminisces on the creation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She explains how the meetings were a joyous time spent with friends and helped the members keep their minds off of the war. For the members, the meetings were not just to read books and discuss; the meetings were an escape from reality. The members wanted to escape the brokenness of the outside world. The meetings allowed them to have both light and intimate conversations with those who were struggling along with them. The members used human connection and bonding to heal the loneliness that the war brought upon them. The meetings were the light of the members’ lives, whereas the war was the darkness. And they treasured their time spent basking in the sun.

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“‘That shoe is all alone, Grandpa.’ I answered that yes it was. He looked at it some more, and then we walked on by. After a bit, he said, ‘Grandpa, that’s something I never am.’ I asked him, ‘What’s that?’ And he said, ‘Lonesome in my spirits.’” (124).

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“‘That shoe is all alone, Grandpa.’ I answered that yes it was. He looked at it some more, and then we walked on by. After a bit, he said, ‘Grandpa, that’s something I never am.’ I asked him, ‘What’s that?’ And he said, ‘Lonesome in my spirits.’” (124).

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In his letter to Juliet, Society member Eben Ramsey describes a moment with his grandson, Eli. Despite the impact of the war, Eli tells his grandfather that he will never be lonesome in his spirits. This not only shows how resilient children are, but it also shows the hopefulness a child has. Most adults experiencing the war allow it to break their spirits. Most adults let the brokenness take over them and let themselves feel lonely. However, a child experiencing the war has a different outlook on life. They have so much life ahead of them; the war is only an obstacle. Eli’s comment also shows how loving and protective the adults were over the children. Even if the adults felt broken and lonely, they would not let the children feel the same way. They would not allow a child's spirit to be crushed by the war.

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“Sidney, he may have been polling the entire island, but I was so flattered to have been included--it made me feel like an Islander instead of an Outlander” (205).

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“Sidney, he may have been polling the entire island, but I was so flattered to have been included--it made me feel like an Islander instead of an Outlander” (205).

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In her letter to her publisher, Sidney Stark, Juliet explains her feelings of belongingness in Guernsey. When one of the men asked for her opinion on whom he should marry, Juliet felt honored that he valued her opinion so greatly. She also felt that she is now viewed as a member of Guernsey, not just a visitor. This shows a growth in Juliet’s character. In the beginning of the novel, Juliet mentioned that she has never felt gloomier in her life. But now, in Guernsey, she feels as if she is where she belongs. She does not feel lonely in Guernsey because Guernsey’s sense of community distracts her from London's brokenness. Guernsey uses their Society to rebuild the brokenness in their society, whereas London is still in the brokenness.

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“In the face of this institutional amnesia, she writes, the only help is talking with fellow survivors. They know what life in the camps was. You speak, and they can speak back. They talk, they rail, they cry, they tell one story after another--some tragic, some absurd. Sometimes they can even laugh together. The relief is enormous, she says” (251).

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“In the face of this institutional amnesia, she writes, the only help is talking with fellow survivors. They know what life in the camps was. You speak, and they can speak back. They talk, they rail, they cry, they tell one story after another--some tragic, some absurd. Sometimes they can even laugh together. The relief is enormous, she says” (251).

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When talking of the prisoners during the war, Juliet explains how the only way camp survivors could heal was to converse with one another. The survivors used each other to cope with the broken state they were left in after the war. After the war, the survivors felt a sense of loneliness because no one (besides fellow survivors) knew what they had been through. The survivors were able to use their own stories of brokenness to heal fellow survivors. This quote reminds me of the saying: “Misery loves company.” There is comfort in knowing that someone has experienced what one has been through. These survivors used their miseries to comfort one another.

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“It suddenly struck me that Dawsey is a lonesome person. I think it may be that he has always been lonely, but he didn’t mind before, and now he minds. Why now?” (266)

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“It suddenly struck me that Dawsey is a lonesome person. I think it may be that he has always been lonely, but he didn’t mind before, and now he minds. Why now?” (266)

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In her detective journal, Society member Isola makes an observation on a change in Dawsey’s character. She notes that Dawsey has always been lonely. I do not believe that Dawsey has been lonely due to lack of human connection; he is surrounded with a community who loves him. He never had a wife to accompany him all the time, but he had a community of friends. When Isola says that he has always been lonely, she means that Dawsey has always kept to himself and has been an introvert. But now that Dawsey has seen Juliet, he sees what he is missing in his life. His loneliness bothers him because he sees that it can be fixed, but he is too afraid.

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“We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it” (274).

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“We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it” (274).

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In her letter to Sidney, Juliet tells him that she is going to marry Dawsey. She finally listened to Sidney and stopped denying her feelings for him. She explains that both of them were unsure and afraid to confess their feelings and could have gone forever ignoring their hearts. She claims her dignity got in the way of her chance of happiness. Obsession with ones dignity, or to hold onto it, can get in the way of taking risks. Juliet risked being told no by Dawsey when asking him to marry her. She was risking feeling lonely and hopeless for love. But in the end, Juliet overcame her obsession and fear of loneliness and laid her heart out to Dawsey.