Lawhon based her portrayal of Australian journalist and World War II spy Nancy Wake (1912-2011) on archival documents, history books, and Wake’s memoir, The White Mouse. She notes that “when at all possible I used Nancy’s descriptions of events in her own words,” and where accounts differ, Lawhon “deferred to her version” (441).

Code Name Hélène’s Nancy is courageous from the outset. She left home at 16 to travel the world, eventually talking her way into a job as a reporter for Hearst. This independence leads her to many acts of Bravery and Sacrifice During War. Despite her fears (and her hangover), with the assistance of the confidence given to her by her ever-present lipstick, she parachutes out of a plane into the French countryside. Nancy is also extremely independent.

Nancy is beautiful, with dark hair, green eyes, and attractive curves. She uses this to her advantage while engaging in espionage activities during the war. She is determined to fight against the brutal Nazi regime, and doing so requires Overcoming Sexist Expectations of Women. She fights for her job as a journalist, persisting even when her editors omit her name from her work due to sexist journalistic norms.