Do you believe Sofie would have been better off if she’d never met Bertie? Why or why not?
Its hard to know for sure because we dont know what kind of life she might have fallen in to without Bertie. They clearly loved each other and protected each other. Overall I think it was positive for her.
Given the times, it’s impossible to say. But what’s important is that she wanted to be with him
I don’t think so. She would likely have been targeted as a Communist, since her activities were well known. Her parents died in a bombing, too, so it’s possible she would have been killed along with them. Teaming up with Bertie allowed cover for them both, and provided a certain level of physical safety.
I think Sofie and Bertie had a true love for each other. I felt that we didn’t get to understand Sofie as well. I know she was heartbroken that her parents died believing that their daughter had committed suicide.
To answer that question requires pure speculation. Sofie loved Bertie and chose to be with him. That’s all that matters within the context of the story.
It’s possible that Sofie would have had less to endure if she hadn’t been with Bertie, but we can’t know what, exactly, would have been different or even, as Kim said above, if she might have been killed for some other reason. Not only might she have died with her family or been persecuted as a communist, but also, she, too, was a member of the LGBTQ+ community at the time and could have been harmed just for that reason. Her love for Bertie mattered to her and to Bertie, and as a committed couple, they chose to find their way together. I think that many people who love deeply find that their love is defining and central in their lives, and questions about what would have happened without that love have little meaning.
Sofie’s life might have been easier without Bertie, but less meaningful. Her suffering is real, but so is her growth. The Lilac People is not about proper relationships or happy endings. It’s a story about witnessing other people’s truths, even when they hurt. Bertie gives Sofie something no one else could have: a chance to live outside the bounds of expectation and to love someone bravely in a world that punishes differences.
So, no, Sofie wasn’t “better off” without Bertie. But she might have been less broken and more socially accepted. The question becomes not just what she lost but what she learned.
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