Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed Analysis

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Often times, when there is conflict that involves violence and threat of personal danger, people tend to become compliant to those who intimidate them instead of holding their ground and acting on their own beliefs and values. Such was the case for the majority of the French nation during the Second World War after Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the country between 1940-1944, only occupying a certain area until 1942 when Germany infiltrated all of France. The Vichy government of France, led by Marshall Philippe Pétain, ended up complying with their occupiers’ orders and signed a law that would allow

The question is often asked, “What inspired the villagers, the Chambonnais, to become a safe haven for Jews, knowing that they were breaking the law and could also be subject to persecution and imprisonment?” Through his book, Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed, author Philip Hallie answers this question in his historical account of the events that took place in the Protestant village of Le Chambon, which includes part of interviews and dialogue he conducted with major figures from the resistance like Magda Trocmé, the wife of André Trocmé, the pastor of Le Chambon and perhaps the leader of the Chambonnais resistance, and their children. The concept of “resistance” that embodied the villagers of Le Chambon was comprised of the application of biblical teachings, the French history of opposition towards Protestants, innate humane character, as well as moral and ethical