Sarah's feelings about the enemy vacillate between the guilt she feels for the Confederate soldier she killed -- she wonders about the family waiting for him at home -- and personal identification with the freed slaves. Her feeling of kinship with African-Americans is particularly acute, given how badly Sarah was treated at home by her father, and the downtrodden condition of her mother. Through her compassion towards her enemy, Sarah demonstrates the gospel virtue of loving one's enemy, but still remaining true to one's moral center. She does not abandon the Union cause, but can still acknowledge the humanity of individuals deemed her enemy (Rinaldi 96). And she is able to identify with all human beings, regardless of their race, and see her humanity reflected in their eyes.
In her spirit of self-sacrifice Sarah also comes to embody the Christian virtue of putting others before herself, and acting as a servant of moral virtue. She would even be willing to turn in a man she loves, when she suspects him of being a spy. She places the good of others, in this case...
After enduring the war, at the end of the novel, Sarah returns home to seek a kind of peace with her family. She discovers that her father has died and her sister is going to marry the man to whom Sarah was originally promised. Sarah comes to realize that there is no going home, and she must make her own way in the world, eventually deciding to return to the Pinkerton Agency to pursue a career.
Sarah is a lonely heroine, even though she spends most of the book surrounded by soldiers. As a soldier she is estranged from others, because she must conceal the fact she is a girl. As a spy she must also conceal her identity and true agenda, and cannot even fully trust the men who are supposed to attend to her safety. She cannot return to her family or embrace a conventional, feminine societal role. Yet despite all of this, Sarah acts a true servant to others and tries to create a more just world while still holding true to her moral code.
Work Cited
Rinaldi, Ann. The Girl in Blue. Scholastic, 2001.
