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Beck is a handsome, young German soldier who is assigned to temporarily lodge in Le Jardin through the war. Though Vianne is at first disturbed by the thought of living with a man who is not her husband, Beck quickly reassures her with his good manners and courteous demeanor. Vianne is shocked by Beck’s apparent kindness, noting that he is no monster, in contrast to the horrible stories she has heard of German brutality. Throughout the novel, Beck is torn between his role as a soldier and his doubts regarding German actions in France. A “family man” who misses his own wife and children, Beck provides food and medicine to Vianne and Sophie when resources become scarce, warns Rachel of an impending round of arrests, and even shows Vianne a relatively safe route to the border of the Free Zone. In private, he expresses his disapproval of the Nazis’ antisemitic policies, showing that there were profound disagreements among Germans during the war. Later, Vianne reflects on the stark differences between Beck and the sadistic Von Richter.
Ultimately, however, Beck violates his own principles in the execution of his duties. Vianne is shocked to see him wielding a whip when the Nazis push Jewish individuals onto crowded buses and trains for deportation. Likewise, he speaks rudely of the French when tasked by the Gestapo with finding a downed American pilot, dropping his earlier politeness and accusing Vianne of treachery. Through its portrayal of Beck, the novel shows that even seemingly kind individuals are capable of monstrous acts under the pressure of war. Though Vianne comes to feel affection for Beck during the years he lives in Le Jardin, even at times acknowledging her own attraction to him, she does not hesitate to kill him when she believes that he will kill Isabelle and put her family in danger.
