A Dance to The Music of Time - Volume 7

In The Valley of Bones, Nick argues that military life is not all that different from civilian life. “It’s a misapprehension to suppose, as most people do, that the army is inherently different from all other communities” states Nick in his conversation with Pennistone (108). While Nick and Pennistone agree, other characters seem to make much larger distinctions between their civilian and military lives. The characters who recognize this parallel seem to do quite well for themselves, while those who instead aspire towards the ideal of the “monk of war” outlined by Vigny seem doomed to failure (107).

Nick claims that “the individual still counts, even in the army,” a fact with which Pennistone agrees (109). Pennistone certainly has melded civilian and military life. When he enters the train car, his voice is described as “rather musical, a voice to be associated with even more frivolous circumstances than those now on offer” (104). Pennistone is also quite successful; he impresses Nick with his ability to “compel [Nick’s] neighbor to move his kit” to accommodate him (109).

Kedward also recognizes the relation between military and civilian life. His plans for marriage are contingent upon his promotion to the rank of captain, and he constantly carries around a picture of his fiancée in his breast pocket. By the end of the book, Kedward has been promoted twice, and is even in command of his own company. Yanto Breeze is yet another officer who manages to mix his dual roles in life. Breeze has an “unsmart appearance and [an] unwillingness to adapt himself to army methods and phraseology” (17). Yet at the same time, Breeze is “not, in his own way, a bad officer” (18). Breeze also gets promoted to captain, yet another man who has not separated his two lives being successful.

Gwatkin, on the other hand, sees the two worlds as mutually exclusive. “It won’t be easy to go back to the bank after this” claims Gwatkin, and continues that “it’s different here” (180). Rather than viewing army life as intersecting with civilian life, he views them in parallel. He views army life as “glamorous,” and civilian life as “boring” (180-1). In the end, both his lives fail. He loses Maureen to Gwylt, a man who never for a second has split romance from the military, and he is demoted from his position as Company Commander.

Deafy Morgan is yet another unfortunate victim of the harsh ideals of the warrior monk. He is described as “always spick and span,” and also was “prepared at all times to undertake boring or tedious duties without the least complaint” (69). In addition to his strict adherence to the military code, Deafy is also using the army as an escape from civilian life. He had a “nagging wife” at home, and was staying in the army simply to avoid having to go home. After Deafy is ambushed, both of his dual lives suffer: he is demoted to the second line, and is sent back home to be with his wife (74).

The separation between civilian and military life is a tragic one. The characters who work around the division prosper, those who do not stagnate or are demoted. The point that Powell seems to be making is that in the War as he experienced it, the difference between civilians and soldiers was not all that great. Nick even states that “when the bombing begin, clearly civilians will play as dangerous a role as soldiers” (108). To disassociate the two aspects of life is to go from the safety of the reserves directly to the Front, to step in harm’s way as a good soldier, not a good civilian, should.

Dicky Umfraville is a rather zany character who has enormous misfortune when it comes to matters of the heart. In The Valley of Bones, Umfraville himself admits that “I don’t have much luck with wives” (156). He has married four times, and is now going on number five by marrying Frederica. His wives leave him for other men and/or die shortly after the wedding; all and all, Umfraville never seems able to hold on to love. This is probably why he so desperately wants to hold on to Frederica, whom he believes will “be my salvation” (156). But why does Umfraville believe that simply getting married again will solve his problems? He has tried that four times already, and it has not worked yet; so what keeps driving him to proposing marriage?

Umfraville’s first wife was Dolly, an “absolute stunner” (VOB, 152), he tells Jenkins, of the woman who did not want to marry him in the onset. “Asked her again and again. The answer was always no. Then one day she changed her mind, the way women do” (152), Umfraville recalls. His `pertinacity’ wins her over, however, it never appears that Dolly is in love with Umfraville, or at least not in the way he loves her. It was always “`Not tonight, darling, because I don’t love you enough’, then `Not tonight, darling, because I love you too much'” (153). Eventually, Dolly leaves him for Buster Foxe, and pleads a divorce from Umfraville. His first marriage ends within two years.

Umfraville’s next wife was Joy Grant, a woman whom he describes as somewhat of a prostitute. He tells Jenkins that she was a “very suitable one too-so I thought I might as well marry her” (155). Soon after they wed, they left for Kenya, where they realize that they “made a mistake in becoming man and wife” (155). Shortly after their arrival, Joy leaves him for a man named Castlemallock. When Castlemallock proves unsuitable, she leaves him for Jo Breen. Umfraville’s second marriage ends just after it begins.
Umfraville realizes that “the business of wives departing was…becoming a positive habit” (156), therefore, he decides to take up with the wife of the District Commissioner, which is doomed before it starts: “she died of enteric six months” (156) after they wed.

Next, he tries to marry Anne, which “was a crazy thing to do”(156), attributed partly to the vast age difference between the two. This marriage, needless to say, “didn’t last long” (156). Umfraville will marry Frederica next and they will be “the model married couple” (156), he aspires. However, after his rack record of four previously unsuccessful marriages, how can he be so sure?

It seems that Umfraville may suffer from what Maclintick suffers from: a case of dependence upon others; however, their types of dependency differ. Maclintick is a pathetic, hopeless character; a repelling man who only holds onto his wife because he stands no chance of attaining another woman. Umfraville, on the other hand, is charming and attractive to women; he can and does succeed with the opposite sex. Although both men are vastly different, they both cannot seem to live without a woman by their sides. Maclintick sticks with one wretch of a woman for many years, while Umfraville jumps from wife to wife.

One of the defining characteristics of Dependent Personality Disorder that Umfraville exhibits is that he “urgently seeks another relationship…when a close relationship ends” (284, American Psychiatric Associations’ Diagnostic Criteria from DSM IV). Maclintick, on the other hand, shows characteristics “submissive and clinging behavior” and “has difficulty…[in] doing things on his own because of a lack of self-esteem”(284,DSM IV). Both men have the same Dependent Personality Disorder; it simply manifests itself in drastically different ways.

In The Valley of Bones, the evolution of Widmerpool’s character bursts on us like an explosion as he moves into a higher and more powerful position. Even though he does not appear until the last few pages of the book, his sudden presence is dominating; according to Jenkins “he was undeniably a somewhat formidable figure” (240) in his role as the DAAG. This is the first time Jenkins has directly called Widmerpool a threat; Widmerpool is not only powerful, but he now, for the first time, has power over Jenkins’ himself.

A DAAG is a Deputy Assistant Adjutant General. It is a highly esteemed job usually reserved for trustworthy efficient officials or to older ones who will not move up to the job of Lt. Colonel for reasons of fitness, age, etc. Widmerpool has obtained this job as a result of hard work and Jenkins is now under his command. However, will Widmerpool’s greediness for power entice him to take over positions of his senior officials?

Along with his rise in power, Widmerpool’s level of confidence and self-esteem has also reached new heights. “So long as I remain, the work will be properly done” (241) He believes in his ability to do quality work and by this hard work, he can ensure his place high up on the power ladder. “I make sure [Co. Hogbourne-Johnson] can find nothing to complain of in my work” (241). He protects his job stability by making sure there is nothing he can be fired for, and he is in total control of his military position. He is as meticulous as ever, as can be seen from the detail in his dictation over the phone. He puts in his best effort, which is admirable, but his haughtiness soon shows through in his conversation with Jenkins.

“Now I thrive on work, but I saw at once that even I must have assistance” (241). Widmerpool is, as always, self-centered and full of himself. His conceit is portrayed clearly through his priggish comments and this greatly lowers our opinion of him. His remarks to Jenkins are condescending. “I take it you did not find yourself specially cut out to be a regimental officer” (242), “Let’s hope you will be better adapted to other duties” (242). He is mocking Jenkins’ abilities as a soldier. In fact, in The Kindly Ones Jenkins asked Widmerpool to pull him into the army, but Widmerpool did not do him the favor. He wants to be at the top of the rat race, and has absolutely no interest in helping others along the way.

We have seen Widmerpool in this superior position before – except it was over Duport, not Jenkins. Widmerpool is in a powerful position, but it is doubtful that he will ever be satisfied. He can only expected to reach further; he might try to outmaneuver his senior officers and this might get him in hot water. On the other hand, he might even get on top of the situation the same way he did with Duport – by altering the situation in his favor and hanging his subordinate out to dry. Jenkins will be directly affected by Widmerpool’s tactics to get to his desired level of supremacy, now that he is under Widmerpool’s command.

As we follow Nick through his life we are led into the military in The Valley of Bones. This part of his life brings with it a plethora of new characters as we leave many of the old ones behind. He is assigned to command a platoon; the captain of his company is Rowland Gwatkin. Nick sees Gwatkin as “a man dedicated to duty,” (12) immediately upon meeting him. Gwatkin shows us that this is true until he becomes infatuated with a certain woman. The moral of the danger of women distracting soldiers runs throughout the book.

Nick and Gwatkin form an intimacy early on in the book. Gwatkin invites Nick to “come on to the Company Office,” (50) and live there instead of in the billet. Nick accepts his invitation, which sets him up to become Gwatkin’s confidant later in the book.

As things are starting to fall apart for Gwatkin, he asks Nick to join him for a drink at a local pub. Nick reluctantly accepts Gwatkin’s invitation. The woman that works at the pub is named Maureen, and Gwatkin already knows her. She talks to him as if he is a regular at the pub. When Nick and Gwatkin leave the pub Gwatkin’s real reason for inviting Nick becomes apparent. He wants Nick’s opinion about Maureen, because he has fallen in love with her. He is unsure of whether or not he should act on his feelings, and he has to consider the fact that he is married.

Nick tells Gwatkin to act on his feelings. Gwatkin becomes so absorbed with thoughts of Maureen that he isn’t able to accomplish all that he needs to in order to command a company. He starts staring off into space and losing a sense of reality. His whole life becomes centered on Maureen and the focus he had for his duties completely evaporates.

One night Bithel gets carried away after consuming too much liquor and Gwatkin puts him under arrest so he can maintain order. Gwatkin is so wrapped up in thoughts of Maureen that he forgets about Bithel all together. Military regulations say that if someone is arrested that it must be reported within twenty-four hours and Gwatkin forgets to do this. Gwatkin is greatly embarrassed when he is discovered.

As the book continues, there are more embarrassments for Gwatkin when he forgets to do certain tasks required of him. Nick is on duty one night and he gets a radio communication. The problem is that he doesn’t understand it, because Gwatkin forgot to inform him and Kenward of the new code words. Gwatkin can’t believe that he forgot to tell Nick and Kenward, but it is due to a woman making him lose his focus.

Maureen is the cause of Gwatkin losing his focus, which causes him to lose his command. This is a major event in Gwatkin’s life. Nick and he discover that Maureen is cheating with Gwylt. This is when Gwatkin realizes afterwards that Maureen was not worth any of it, because she caused him to lose his dedicated soldier focus. In the end, the movie that Moreland and Nick saw was correct in saying, “A woman who causes a man to neglect his duty is not worth a moment’s consideration.” And even Gwatkin sees that he should have listened more carefully to the poem about Mithras: “keep us pure till the dawn!”

The reader sees the relationship between Nick and Isobel Jenkins undergo certain transformations throughout the last two books. Because Nick does not express himself very explicitly, the reader can never be certain how, exactly, he feels about his relationship with Isobel. Although there is no reason for the reader to believe that the relationship is bad, there is no reason for the reader to believe it is necesarily good, either. We question the stability of their relationship when we see Nick and Isobel interact at the hospital; however, in the third volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, when Nick goes to Frederica’s house for a short time to visit his family, their relationship seems more intimate and special than it had been before. Although Nick and Isobel’s marriage does not seem like a perfect one, they are in love and they are bound together by a special bond. Their marriage is perfectly characteristic for Nick; it is not something that Nick talks a lot about but it is very significant to him.

When Nick first lays his eyes on Isobel, he is immediately enchanted with her. He gives a very descriptive version of his feelings for her:

Would it be too explicit, too exaggerated, to say that when I set eyes on Isobel Tolland, I knew at once that I should marry her? Something like that is the truth; certainly nearer the truth than merely to record those vague, incohate sentiments of interest of which I was so immediately conscious. It was as if I had known her for many years already; enjoyed happiness with her and suffered sadness. I was conscious of that, ad of another life, nostalgically remembered. Then, at that moment, to be compelled to go through all the paraphernalia of introduction, of “getting to know” one another by means of the normal formalities of social life, seemed hardly worth while. We knew one another already; the future was determinate. But what–it may reasonably be asked–what about the fact that only a short time before I had been desperately in love with Jean Duport; was still, indeed, not sure that I had been wholy cured? (ALM. 136)

From this scene, the reader deduces that Nick is madly in love with Isobel. It would not be far off, for someone who had just picked up the book and read this part, to speculate that Nick and Isobel will have a very intense, loving, and affectionate relationship when they get married; however, we know that that is not Nick. Although he does feel very strongly for her, Nick is not one to share his personal life with the public. Isobel loves Jenkins. Jenkins loves Isobel. And that is all that matters to Nick. Their marriage is not as openly wonderful as one might have thought it would be, but still, there are no signs that it is a wrong fit; it is just that neither of them are particularly, outwardly expressive.

The next significant scene that delves into Nick and Isobel’s
relationship occurs in the hospital, shortly after Isobel has miscarried. Their interaction is brief and lacks intimacy. At this point in their relationship, it seems as though they are missing something between them…the “sparks” of true love. Of course, a reason that the interaction between the two of them could be somewhat abrupt could be because Isobel has just suffered a mother-to-be’s worst nightmare, but, even then, it would be more of a reason for Nick and Isobel to be more affectionate than usual. In this scene, the reader is most suspicious of their marriage.

The most recent scene in which the reader observes Nick and Isobel interact is when Nick leaves his army post to go and spend time with his family at Frederica’s. He and Isobel are seen talking for a very short time, although it seems that they have more to talk about then, than in previous times. It is indeed true that “there was a lot to talk about…far more things than could be spoken of at once.” (144) They catch up, as much as they can, but then as they are leaving, Nick says, “Anyway, it’s nice to meet again, darling,” and Isobel says, “It’s been a long time.” Their interaction is still brief here, but there is obviously much more for them to talk about, and it is obvious that they miss each other.

There is a shift in Nick and Isobel’s relationship throughout the books. The initial feeling–on Nick’s part– is one of strong desire for Isobel. He feels so strongly for her upon first glimpse that he shares one of the most explicit descriptions of his thoughts in the whole book. Then, they marry and have some troubles– the miscarriage– and things do not seem to be as pleasant as they should be. However, the reader can assume that, because Nick is reserved and likes to keep to himself, the marriage is not a completely public fiasco. The reader is reassured, however, that the marriage is a solid, happy one which is not going to be broken off.

Powell severely limits Widmerpool’s role in The Valley of Bones. Not until the last five pages, does he unexpectedly appear in a new position as “an officer, wearing major’s crowns on his shoulder…with his back to the door… [behind] piles of documents” (238, TVOB). Widmerpool has advanced himself to the rank of DAAG, and in this final scene of the book he acquires Nick under his command. After an ill-advised rush of nostalgia, Nick expresses his dismay at this new subservience to Widmerpool: “I saw that I was now in Widmerpool’s power. This, for some reason, gave me a disagreeable, sinking feeling within” (243, TVOB). Following this disclosure, the final sentence of the book contains a metaphor for Widmerpool’s new power, while dating the narrative’s setting. “On the news that night, motorized elements of the German army were reported as occupying the outskirts of Paris” (243, TVOB). This sentence suggests that Widmerpool’s recent advancement corresponds with the German advancement on Paris in 1940.

German troops advanced through Poland in 1939 with an unchecked blitzkrieg attack (http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/14007CausesandOutbreak.html). In a matter of months, they had rushed through Poland and Belgium, flanked the French fortifications of the Maginot line, and prepared to march on Paris. This lightening progression mirrors Widmerpool’s swift appointment as Nick’s supervisor in The Valley Of Bones. A persona of Nick’s non-military life and a specter in the reader’s minds, Widmerpool appears suddenly in command of Nick in the same way that Hitler’s troops appeared at the walls of Paris, the French capital, after just eight months of war.

Widmerpool’s prepared rise to military control and power also reflects the German blitzkrieg, because, like Germany’s rearmament and diplomatic negotiations (i.e. the Munich accord), he was preparing for war since the University days, when he told Nick about his involvement with “territorials.” In The Kindly Ones, Widmerpool comes to Sir Magnus’s fresh from training and fully dressed in his military outfit. Now, “his battle-dress, like his civilian clothes… a little too small for him… he was undeniably a somewhat formidable figure” (240, TVOB). With the advent of the German invasion and the precipitated war, his former oddities and presumptions display provident foresight.

Germany does not symbolize Widmerpool, who in the course of the war adopts the inflections of Churchill, but the long preparations for war and rapid advances of both are congruent. Neither does Widmerpool’s rapid rise to DAAG indicate hope that Britain will muster troops and generals quickly enough to counter the Germans, because his preparations too closely agree with Hitler’s to represent Britain. These events roughly coincide chronologically; for instance, Widmerpool acquired his territories in the early 1920s and Hitler became leader of the Nazi party in 1921. Powell has constructed this correlation carefully since the first book of the series.

In the closing pages of chapter four of The Valley of Bones, Jenkins once again encounters Widmerpool, a character who has undergone a metamorphosis throughout the series. Widmerpool has evolved from a character who is unsure of himself, who gets sugar dumped on himself and reacts with forms a submissive grin, into a power hungry character, willing to step on anyone to achieve higher status and control. Widmerpool now has the upper hand on Jenkins and is using the opportunity to exercise complete control over him. Widmerpool has called up Jenkins to be his personal servant and to run errands for him, because he surely cannot efficiently complete all of the duties of the DAAG by himself. Widmerpool, in his new role as DAAG decides when officers are promoted in the army. He intends to use this position as a stepping stone on to achieve greater power. He says,”I do not mean to stay on this staff long… I do not propose to stay with this formation long.”(240) With this new power, Widmerpool has become a condescending and arrogant figure, and the future for Jenkins as his assistant does not look promising. Jenkins military career up to this juncture in the novel has been in constant decline. His comanding officer does not want him around anymore because he is too old and brings down the rest of the platoon. Jenkins faced much resistance when he tried to enter the military initially and presently he has very little if any opportunity to advance in rank. Now that Jenkins has been transferred to work for Widmerpool, his declining military career has reached a dead end.

At the conclusion of The Valley of Bones, Second-Lieutenant Jenkins is ordered to report to Divisional Headquarters, the DAAG’s office by 1700 hours, bringing with him all of his belongings. He is not informed as to what he will be doing there or how long he will be stationed there, only that he must report to the newly appointed DAAG. He notifies Kedward, his commanding officer, that he has been reassigned and will be departing for Divisional Headquarters tomorrow. Kedward says to Jenkins, “I want to make the Company more mobile. I was a little worried anyway about having you on my hands, to tell you the truth.”(223) Jenkins agrees with this comment, noting that it was very frank, but nevertheless, states,” I was myself in complete agreement with Kedward’s view about my departure, feeling even stimulated by a certain excitement about being on the move.”(224) Jenkins leaves his Company with a naive sense of excitement and optimism about what his future of working for the DAAG will bring for him.

Jenkins arrives at Divisional Headquarters and is directed by the soldier-servant to the DAAG’s office, which still bares his predecessor’s name on the door. Jenkins enters and salutes, but the DAAG barely acknowledges him as he finishes his dictation. When the DAAG turns around, Jenkins recognizes him as Widmerpool, and initially feels, “enormously glad to see him.”(239) He comments that, ” One’s associations with people are regulated as much by what they stand for as by what they are, individual characteristics becoming from time to time submerged in more general implications.”(239) Jenkins sees that same old Widmerpool standing in front of him, with, large spectacles like searchlights, a humped back with a roll of flesh at the neck, and a uniform that seemed a little small for him. Widmerpool is a representation of Jenkins life outside the military, reminding Jenkins of a world that he has been cut off from for an eternity. This gives Jenkins a hiatus from military life and temporarily brings a sense relief. At the same time that he is reminded of the positives and negatives of his life before the military, the sight of Jenkins may bring up some hurtful memories of social humiliation for Widmerpool. These memories may be the cause of Widmerpool’s patronizing demeanor towards Jenkins.

Soon after being reacquainted with Widmerpool, Jenkins becomes aware that this is not the same person of their days at school. He has now taken on a position of great power and Jenkins seems to be the target of Widm erpool’s aggression. Widmerpool makes constant reference to Jenkins’s inferior rank as if to continually point out the fact that he is more accomplished. As a military officer, he says,” between these four walls, don’t feel rank makes a gulf between”(240) and then later refers to him as a junior officer. In addition, Widmerpool suggests that Jenkins is not really qualified to be his helper, having no more legal experience that the rest, but he “allowed the ties of old acquaintance to prevail.”(241) Widmerpool informs Jenkins that he will be a “dogsbody”(242), running around endlessly doing errands. At the end of their meeting Widmerpool treats Jenkins in a demeaning way, telling him to,” get cracking … the sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.”(243) Widmerpool has grown very self-confident to the extent of becoming haughty. He feels that he can speak poorly of his superiors and that his work is flawless and incredibly efficient. The future for Jenkins looks quite ominous and he realizes this after Widmerpool explains his duties. After initially being enormously glad to see Widmerpool, Jenkins says,” I saw that I was now in Widmerpool’s power. This, for some reason, gave me a disagreeable, sinking feeling within.”(243)

Letter sent from Major-General Liddament, Divisional Commander of forces in Northern Ireland, to Army Headquarters, London.

NOTE: This letter and its contents are to be held as highly confidential. It contains information vital to the success of our forces at home and abroad.

Sirs,

For the sake of expediency, I wish to be brief in my opinions here today. I am currently occupied with taking over control of the division. Unfortunately Bors, one of my dogs, has come down with ringworm, and so I must attend to him. Therefore, I have very little time to make my remarks here. However, there is one very important but simple matter I wish to discuss with you. Unfortunately, before I can do so, I feel I must allay a fear several of you have expressed, either in person or in print, this last week. And that is the cases of Private “Deafy” Morgan and Sergeant Pendry.

Both Pvt. Morgan and Sgt. Pendry were stationed at the post in Castlemallock, a few miles north of the Irish border. They were both assaulted by Irish locals, resulting in the loss of Pvt. Morgan’s firearm and Sgt. Pendry’s untimely death last week. There is the fear that these are not isolated incidents, that they represent a growing distrust, even outright hatred of the British Army by the Nationalists in southern Ireland, and that these assaults will increase in frequency and severity as long as our presence is felt here.

However, I have spoken personally with many of the local Irish, and they have all assured me that there is nothing but love in the hearts of the Irish people for what we are doing. They fear Germany just as much as we do. I believe that these attacks are not the result of hatred for the Army but rather dissatisfaction with how we are faring abroad. The public has heard of Allied failures on the continent; they are afraid and so they are acting out against authority. It is my assessment, then, that there is no real threat from the Irish here, and that, once we make our presence known on the continent, any malcontents here will fade into the woodwork.

Now that that affair has been sorted out, I would like to turn my attention to more pressing matters. As you may know, the Northern Ireland division has recently undergone a series of exercises which I designed personally to assess our battle readiness, and I must say I was very impressed with what I saw. One minor weakness the weekend uncovered was a company led by a Captain Rowland Gwatkin. On the opening march across the field, Captain Gwatkin’s company became horribly out of position, and as a result the Battalion’s objective was almost compromised.

I am not telling this story out of a desire to hurt Captain Gwatkin’s standing. As a matter of fact, I quite like the man, and believe he is in for a promotion very soon. It is just that, after I heard of this balls-up, I thought it best to do an inspection on Captain Gwatkin’s company at their encampment, to make sure all was in order. The encampment was well fortified, all the supplies were attended to and stored out of the rain, and the soldiers’ sleeping quarters were in pristine condition. It was there, however, that a Second Lieutenant Jenkins informed me of a certain dietary deficiency which was clearly overlooked in the bustle of preparing our campaign: at present, we do not give out porridge in daily rations.

Hopefully I do not have to explain to such distinguished soldiers as you, sirs, how crucial porridge is in any good soldier’s diet. I shall not bore you with overly complicated scientific jargon, but suffice to say, it provides the soldier with both oats and milk, two key parts to any decent diet. I believe it is imperative that we fix this problem immediately, before we begin moving en masse onto the continent. If need be, I can effect this transfer myself. I have recently been assigned a new assistant who can take control of any minor problems that occur while I deal with this egregious oversight. I would only need your permission to do so.  

Thank you very much for helping me solve this problem quietly and efficiently. Once we remove this roadblock, I feel nothing can stop us in our quest to overcome the Axis forces.

Dutifully,
Major-General H. de C. Liddament

Widmerpool has always been a very self-confident character in Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time, but this ostentatious attitude has never been considered a serious problem. We have accepted his character without considering the condition of a narcissistic personality disorder. There are nine components laid out by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) which an individual must meet to be diagnosed, each of which Widmerpool wholly embodies (Mayo Clinic Screening and Diagnosis). Though this has not led to any pervasive complications physically, his social interactions have always suffered. The only person who has a failed to indicate any misgivings on Widermerpool’s behalf is his mother, who may be the main reason he has developed such a profound exemplification of a narcissistic personality disorder.

The first three requirements for diagnosis go hand-in-hand: Widmerpool has overextended sense of entitlement, has a grandiose sense of self-importance, and shows arrogant, haughty behaviors and attitudes (Mayo Screening and Diagnosis). Though these traits come up almost every time Nick encounters Widmerpool, the most recent example is when Nick reports to the DAAG in The Valley of Bones. Nick finds himself face-to-face with Widmerpool who is quick to point out their difference in rank by saying “don’t feel rank makes a gulf between us,” though Nick makes no implication that this had been his feeling (VB 240). Once Widmerpool’s status is emphasized he continues to express his feelings of greater entitlement than his current state of operations, “the division is spoken of as potentially operational. So far as I am concerned, it is a backwater. Besides, I have to do most of the work here” (VB 240). Through this statement we see that Widmerpool thinks himself much better than this meager operation and is the only one who is effective and meaningful in the whole Division. His arrogance is perceived by his senior offers like General Liddament, who “adopts a mock-heroic style of talk” whenever Widmerpool approaches him (VB 241). Instead of seeing the motivation of the General’s jest Widmerpool puts it off as “very undignified for a relatively senior officer” (VB 241). He will not even give the General the full credit of his seniority saying that he is only “relatively senior” and though the General may be undignified, Widmerpool himself will strive to be even more stately in manner than before by making sure that “he can find nothing to complain of in my work” (VB 241). This interaction between Widmerpool and Nick alone supports all three of these points of diagnosis.  

The next three requirements are of a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success and power, a lack of empathy, and the belief that others are envious of them. An excellent example of these qualities is exhibited when Nick approaches Widmerpool with the hope of acquiring a spot in the army once the war has stared. Widmerpool chastises Nick for not entering his name in the reserve even though he had told Nick that he did not think there would be war, “think how long I have been a territorial officer. You should have looked ahead” (KO 220). To Widmerpool his way is always the right way; even when he has made a wrong prediction he puts Nick down for not previously entering the reserves. Due to this lack of foresight on Nick’s part, Widmerpool claims he cannot help him. In a degrading tone for a contemporary Widmerpool tells him that he is too old but that he will try to look out for him because, “I may be in a position well placed for doing so before many moons have waned” (KO 221). Widmerpool believes that his infinite wisdom has positioned him well above Nick. Widmerpool assumes that Nick must be envious that he will soon be in control of much greater power. Even when Widmerpool is offering help he is putting Nick down. These delusions of grandeur cause Widmerpool to miss the realities of Nick’s humble disposition and equal value as a person.

The last three traits build off this grandiose sense of self, emphasizing Widmerpool’s trouble with personal relationships. He believes that he is unusually “special” and unique, requires excessive admiration, and is interpersonally exploitative. When Widmerpool invites Nick to dinner to ask the appropriate way to approach his fiancé about sexual interactions before their marriage, he is using Nick for affirmation of his predetermined desires. Nick recalls that “he positively forced one to agree that his own affairs were intensely important: indeed, the only existing question of any real interest” (ALM 56). Widmerpool forces Nick to give him the desired admiration and verification that his situation is unique and solely important. He makes it clear that he thinks poorly of Nick’s profession and aspirations, “it may lead to something better. If you are industrious, you get on. That is true of all professions, even the humblest” (ALM 52). Widmerpool’s low opinion of Nick gives him gratification and self-affirmation of the importance of his own affairs, exploiting Nick for his own narcissistic tendencies.

Though the root of a narcissistic personality disorder is unknown, one possibility is that of excessive pampering and extremely high expectations during childhood (Mayo Causes). Mrs. Widmerpool is Kenneth’s one true unrelenting believer who herself exuded the same air as Kenneth of being “unusually pleased with herself” (BM 265). She thinks excessively high of her son and supports his narcissistic characteristics as undeniable signs of success. When Nick first meets Mrs. Widmerpool in A Buyer’s Market her undying admiration for her son and the credit she takes in his success is palpable. When Nick tells her that he had spent time at the La Grenadière with her son, she is “amazed at he brilliance of [Nick’s] parents in having hit on the only possible household in the whole of France” (BM 262). Mrs. Widmerpool seems awed that anyone could have had such a novel idea as she and enjoyed such an enriching experience as her son. Her world revolves around the accomplishments of Widmerpool and has instilled this same prideful attitude in him. 

It cannot be confirmed that Widmerpool’s narcissistic personality disorder stemmed from his mother, despite this compelling evidence that this is true. Widmerpool is not just a self-assured English businessman; his arrogance has reached beyond a simple character flaw. If evaluated in terms of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders used by psychiatric professionals, it is easy to see Widmerpool’s personification of a narcissistic personality disorder. He meets all nine requirements and has expressed them from book one through seven, and shows no signs of changing. This discovery may help put Widmerpool in perspective, allowing readers to discredit his pompous statements and claims as delusional fantasies to which he has projected upon his world.

Sources:
Mayo Clinic Staff. Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Causes. Mayo Clinic: Nov. 29, 2007 < http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder /DS00652/DSECTION=3>.

Mayo Clinic Staff. Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Screening and Diagnosis. Mayo Clinic: Nov. 29, 2007 < http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/DSECTION=6>.

World War II was a time when Ireland was just beginning to create an identity for itself as a new country. In The Valley of the Bones, Nick describes border attacks and hears about Maureen’s experience as an Irish citizen. The historical context on which Nick’s tour of duty was performed is a crucial one to Ireland’s past. Right before WWII, the country was torn to into two major regions. Northern Ireland, around 90% Catholic and Protestant, wanted independence from Ireland[1]. Nick’s troops, in The Valley of the Bones, were there to protect the Northern Irish from the war, but also to try and create some peace on the border during such a difficult time in Ireland’s history.

During WWII, Ireland declared neutrality on all fronts as a small, newly formed country. The country itself did not feel comfortable entering a conflict which may have ended up creating more hardships as they were already cast in a shadow of controversy. On the other hand, Northern Ireland allied with the British forces. Nationalists, people who favored the country staying together as one, who lived in Northern Ireland cried out with anguish at having to live in a country which had temporarily given power to the British. However, even Eamon DeValera, Ireland’s newly appointed prime minister, had sympathetic urges towards the British. He often allowed those Allied soldiers who parachuted into Ireland to “accidentally” escape to British-controlled Northern Ireland[2].

Nick’s experiences in the novel pertain specifically to the disruptions on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. According to my grandfather, who was only 13 years old at the time living in Kilarney, Ireland, border raids were frequent. Just as a few years ago, when IRA bombings occurred on the boundary and fights showed up every other day in the newspapers, in 1940 the border where Nick was stationed was constantly under attack. It wasn’t uncommon for people to cross the border, vandalize, and then return to the other side. The British army was there to make sure that things stayed under control, as well as protect the Irish citizens in case WWII broke out in Ireland. Robbing the soldiers stationed there became a regular occurrence, just as when Deafy Morgan was attacked and his rifle stolen.

My grandfather also told me about how upset the Nationalists were in Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, if you didn’t own a house you couldn’t vote. With the limited number of jobs available, it wasn’t surprising that people didn’t own homes. Over 14,000 Irish citizens left to work in Britain at the outbreak of war[3]. The Nationalists who wanted Ireland to remain as a whole country, often claimed they couldn’t express their feelings in the democratic system because they couldn’t vote. They were often harassed and hurt by the citizens of Northern Ireland. This became another source of conflict that the British forces were there to deal with, and could have led to the situation Maureen was in. Her family crossed the border to be in Northern Ireland under the protection of the British troops.

When the war broke out, over 70,000 volunteers left Ireland to fight in the British army[4]. At the end of our conversation, my grandfather began to recall old friends who died in the war. “They would have been around 90 or 100 now … if they had survived,” he said. As a little boy living in the country, my grandfather never heard much about the war. His family didn’t own a radio, and the newspaper came maybe once a week from someone who went to town. News of the war affected the Irish families, and the British army like Nick’s were there to support the government in a desperate time of war and civil conflict. As my grandfather said, “An awful lot of Irish boys gave their lives in World War II.”

Notes:
[1] http://www.reform.org/TheReformMovement_files/article_files/articles/war.htm
[2] http://www.reform.org/TheReformMovement_files/article_files/articles/war.htm
[3] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/On_which_side_did_Ireland_fight_during_World_War_2
[4] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/On_which_side_did_Ireland_fight_during_World_War_2

In the Valley of Bones, Nick Jenkins experiences the phenomenon of military life as a Second Lieutenant. He encounters handfuls of new characters among the ranks, and through his constant observation and just narration, the reader gains an understanding of military life. En route to the Tollands’, he meets David Pennistone. The two engage in an interesting conversation about Vigny’s Grandeur Militaire. Rowland Gwatkin, Nick’s superior, fulfills many of Vigny’s ideas of the ideal soldier. Gwatkin, a dedicated officer, sacrifices his own thought and action to better serve the military. Despite this, he fails to meet one of Vigny’s standards-that in the military “there is as little room for uncontrolled fervor as for sullen indifference.” Gwatkin demonstrates extreme fervor while dealing with Maureen. It is this fervor that leads to his drastic change of personality, loss of composure, and ultimately his failure as a military officer.

Pennistone relays one of Vigny’s conclusions about soldiering to Nick: “The soldier is a dedicated person, a sort of monk of war” (p. 107). Nick’s first impression of Gwatkin, which “could hardly have been more characteristic,” is that Gwatkin is “above all a man dedicated to duty” (p. 12). Beyond his clear dedication to the army in his everyday actions and strict manner of regulation and discipline, Gwatkin’s possesses a greater dedication due to his idea of future service in the army. Nick notes that “there was an air of resolve about him, the consciousness of playing a part to which a high destiny had summoned him” (p. 13). The intensity of Gwatkin’s devotion to the British military would seem to characterize him as the ideal officer; however, Vigny asserts that devotion is not the sole trait required of a successful military officer.

According to the Pennistone’s paraphrasing, Vigny believes that “those in uniform have made the greater sacrifice by losing the man in the soldier-what he calls the warrior’s abnegation, his renunciation of thought and action” (p. 108). The idea of free thought is accompanied by the ideas of free speech and free expression. By the time Nick encounters Gwatkin, he has already renounced his ability of free thinking. While welcoming Nick to the company, Gwatkin “[speaks] this very formal speech in a rough tone, with the barest suggestion of sing-song, his voice authoritative” (p. 9). His expressionless tone of voice suggests Gwatkin has sacrificed his personal style of expression.

Later on, Gwatkin introduces himself to Nick and asks for his Christian name. After hearing Nick Jenkins’ name, Gwatkin replies, “Mine is Rowland. The Commanding Officer says we should not be formal with each other off parade” (p. 11). Asking for Nick’s first name seems like a friendly gesture, as if Gwatkin is hoping to be welcoming. The friendliness of this gesture is lost when Gwatkin reveals his motive behind asking is the fact that “the Commanding Officer says” so (p. 11). This sacrifice of thought and action causes Nick to state, “His excessively `regimental’ manner [is] certainly over and above anything as yet encountered among other officers of the Battalion” (p. 13).

Gwatkin nearly meets Vigny’s standards as an exemplary soldier. Tragically, his dedication and sacrifice accompanied with his heroic views of the military are not enough. Vigny asserts that the army is “a way of life in which there is as little room for uncontrolled fervour as for sullen indifference” (p. 108). Gwatkin’s downfall begins when he “[develops] a new vagueness, even bursts of apparent indolence” (p. 175). These fits of lethargy are paired conversely with moments of “abandoning all pretence of being a `man of few words'” and “bursts of talkativeness” (p. 176). The reason behind Gwatkin’s absurd behavior is his love for Maureen. Gwatkin cannot express his feelings for Maureen to Nick. Nick realizes that “Gwatkin [is] in love” (p. 190). Eventually Gwatkin notices his own behavioral changes and confides in Nick that “unless it stops a bit, [he is] frightened [he’ll] make a fool of [himself] in some way to do with commanding the Company” (192). Foreshadowing his own demise, he further says, “A girl like Maureen makes everything go out of your head” (p. 192).

Days later, Gwatkin loses complete control of the Company with his handling of Bithel’s drunken affair and his balls-up with the code words. He is shortly “relieved of his Company” (p. 217). Gwatkin’s failure as Vigny’s ideal soldier can only be accounted to his lovesickness for Maureen. Although a sad demise, Gwatkin’s downfall seems to be predicted by Nick from their first meeting. Nick states, “Even this first sight of him reveal[s] a novelty of character, at one apparent, though hard to define. There was, in the first place, some style about him. However much he might physically resemble the rest, something in his air and movements also showed a divergence form the humdrum routine of men” (p. 9). This “novelty of character” that Nick observes is the part of Gwatkin that makes him human. Despite Gwatkin’s romanticism of military life and his aspirations to reach heroic status, he cannot fit into Vigny’s box of the ideal soldier.

“Although [Nick’s ancestors] had remained in these parts only a couple of generations, there was an aptness, something fairly inexorable, in reporting under the badges of second-lieutenant to a spot from which quite a handful of forerunners of the same blood had set out to become unnoticed officers of Marines or the East India Company; as often as not to lay twenty-year-old bones in the cemeteries of Bombay and Mysore.”    

Nick remarks that he is training to become a second lieutenant in Wales at the same place where his ancestors had trained to become officers many years before. Powell’s phrase “lay twenty-year-old bones in the cemeteries of Bombay and Mysore” establishes a connection between the two generations. Nick is simply the reincarnation of his ancestors; a symbol of their bones rising up to fight again.

The “valley of bones” also refers to the British Army after the First World War. Out of 2.6 million enlisted men, over 1.6 million were wounded and over 650,000 were confirmed killed.[1] Britain spent the years in between the two world wars rebuilding their infrastructure rather than their military. When World War Two broke out, Britain had initially to scramble to survive. They had at their disposable seemingly only a valley of dry bones with which to make an army.

The soldiers with whom Nick has interactions are truly made from random bones scattered across a valley floor. None of them are fighters: Nick is a writer, and most of the others are miners or engaged in some other nonviolent profession. Most of them are not very good at what they do; Bithell is an alcoholic, Nick is too old for his rank and is found not to be a good field commander, Gwylt is a womanizer, Deafy Morgan is practically deaf, Sayce is Gomer Pyle, General Liddament is dictatorial, and Captain Gwatkin is such a bad company commander that he is relieved of his duties due to incompetence. The army is so ragtag that even Widmerpool, the most unlikely of all the characters, makes Major.

Another correlation between The Valley of Bones and Ezekiel 37 is that in both stories the “bones” all come from the same place. In Ezekiel 37, the bones all come from Israel. In the novel, they all come from Wales. Powell emphasizes this sense of place by calling attention to Nick’s incongruity. Instead of English names like Stringham, Templer, and Tolland, the reader sees almost alien names, like Gwatkin, Cadwallander, and Idwal Kedward. This makes the reader recognize immediately he is not in familiar territory, while at the same time creating a sense of unity among the Welsh characters. In chapter two, the soldiers sing “Cwm Rhondda,” a popular Welsh hymn as they leave their homes as if to carry their Welsh heritage with them. “The men, although departing from their own neighbourhoods and country, were in a fairly buoyant mood. Something was beginning at last. They sang softly….” (39). These soldiers are proud to be Welshmen just as the Ezekiel’s soldiers are proud to be Israelites.

By creating this world parallel to Ezekiel 37, Powell creates an ethereal and otherworldly aura around war in general. War is certainly not something that touches most of us in a direct way. To those it does touch, it is something completely apart from normal life. Powell’s allegory beautifully draws attention to this distinction.

Note:
[1] “British Army in the First World War.”

This installment of A Dance to the Music of Time provides us, and Nick, with a completely new experience. In The Valley of Bones, Nick is thrust into the army at the beginning of the Second World War, and, with the exception of a few incidental meetings with other characters, must adapt to this whole new world. While he grew up in a military family, Nick’s knowledge of military command is rather lacking, and from the get-go, he must learn how to be a soldier from his peers. One man in this chapter stands out has an example of soldiering: Rowland Gwatkin, Nick’s commanding officer through most of the book. However, Gwatkin’s path as a commander is laden with misfortunes, some of his own creation. These misfortunes culminate in Gwatkin’s loss of his command. Nick describes Gwatkin as a “Stendhalian hero” (VB, 218) but retracts this description when Gwatkin loses this command. However, the comparison between Gwatkin, and the heroes of Stendhal’s writing perhaps may still be accurate, though Nick does not see it.

Rowland Gwatkin is the highest ranking officer around Nick for most of the book, he is very outspoken (perhaps to a fault), he confides privately in Nick, and he has a very distinct personality. The most noticeable aspect of his character is his absolute desire to be a model soldier, a legendary commander like Kipling’s centurion. As such, he applies himself greatly to this goal, and diligently studies his books such as “Infantry Training,” and the “Field Service Pocket Book.” He is unwilling to trust others with many duties, personally overseeing many duties he needn’t, and probably shouldn’t.

Unfortunately, Gwatkin, while diligent, is not without his many faults which get him into all sorts of trouble. For example, he is completely off-track during the company’s training exercise. In his infatuation with the local girl, Maureen, he forgets to pass along the new code words to his lieutenants, Kedward and Nick. Lastly he arrests Bithel for “kissing an Other Rank,” (VB, 205) and promptly forgets about him the next day. These last two events, together get Gwatkin relieved of his command of the company, and sent to the Infantry Training Center, for reassignment.

Perhaps foremost among Gwatkin’s faults, and certainly the one most noticed by Nick, is his absolutely unrealistic view of life in the military. He believes that life as a soldier is meant to be about honor, glory, and victory on the battlefield. While such a view desensitizes him to the hardships of camp life, it also means that he loses sight of what it means to be a soldier. “A French writer who’d been a regular officer said the whole point of soldiering was its bloody boring side. The glamour, such as it was, was just a bit of exceptional luck if it came your way.'” (VB, 233) While Nick makes this comment to Gwatkin, Gwatkin seems to take very little note of it. In seeking the glamour, which should only be a chance occurrence, Gwatkin neglects many of the more boring aspects of being a soldier.

Marie-Henri Beyle, also known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th century French writer who was most famous for his novels The Red and the Black, and The Charterhouse of Parma. (Wikipedia) The Red and the Black follows Julien Sorel, a young Frenchman in the 19th century who, despite the reactionary government in France after the Napoleonic wars, is very liberal. He dreams that he could have been a part of Napoleon’s Grand Armee, just as Gwatkin dreams of becoming a great commander. His aspirations, however, are far from his reality. The story begins as Sorel gets a job as a tutor in the house of M. de Renal, the mayor of the humble town in which Sorel lives. While he is living there, Mme. de Renal falls deeply in love with Sorel. Sorel considers it his soldierly duty to seduce her, and the two have an affair. His relationship with her, however, causes problems, just as Gwatkin’s relationship with Maureen causes problems for him. While they are in his room, Sorel barely is able to keep Mme. de Renal from finding a painting of Napoleon that he keeps, which would expose his Bonapartist sentiments. Eventually, word of the affair gets out, and Sorel is forced to leave Mme. de Renal (as Gwatkin has to leave Maureen) so that he may go to Paris and study to become a priest, before M. de Renal finds out about their relationship. (4Literature)

While Gwatkin’s career may have received a setback, he may yet have the course of a Stendhalian hero before him. Gwatkin’s optimistic view of the nature of the military and his dreams of becoming a great commander mirror Julien Sorel’s dreams of being a Napoleonic soldier. His relief of command seems like Julien Sorel’s escape to Paris. Stendhal’s stories depict characters that mature in recovering from a great setback, though they may not achieve their original, idealistic dreams. Julien Sorel never becomes the great soldier he wanted to be, but at the end of The Red and the Black, he dies satisfied, since he has experienced true love, the lives of both commoners and nobles, and so many other things that a common man could never experience in a single lifetime. (4Literature) If we meet Rowland Gwatkin again, he may not have become the great commander that he wishes to be, but perhaps he will have had his own, unique experience.

Literature Cited
“Red and the Black by Stendhal.” 4Literature. 26 Feb. 2008 

“Stendhal.” Wikipedia.

War changes people. It draws them away from home, putting them in extraordinary circumstances which affect them mentally, emotionally, and physically. Some are affected more than others, as is the case with Captain Rowland Gwatkin. It is assumed he had some fine qualities that led him to begin basic training with the rank Captain. One does not achieve this rank without exhibiting an above average ability to lead and command troops. As time moves on, these skills or whatever his commanding officers saw was promising in him are no longer evident. Throughout A Valley of Bones we see him gradually lose focus for a number of reasons, losing the ability to act on his own accord. From his ineptitude acting as a field officer to his incapacity to ask out a woman, we see him digress until he must fully rely upon others to make decisions for him, which is the he fails as a Captain.

From the start of the thirty-six-hour Divisional exercise mandated by Major-General Liddament we see him slowly losing his capability to lead. “He nearly left his maps behind. He would have done, if I had not reminded him.'” (VB 76) Kedward, his subaltern, saves him from this making this minor mistake. In one of the first maneuvers the platoon is taking part in he finds a way to very nearly screw the whole thing up before it even begins. Nick proceeds to lead his platoon in the manner Gwatkin had just gone over with them but “finding my Platoon lagging behind Breeze and his men, took them on at greater speed” (VB 78) When he arrives at the rally point, Nick observes that they had lost much time by the “formality of the maneuvering” (VB 78). Gwatkin, however, believes they are right on time, which prompts Yanto Breeze to note they were not in fact on time, but running late and should have been another mile or two along. This is echoed in the message sent by runner some minutes after they’ve settled into the field. “Gwatkin had done poorly.” (VB 79) Captain Gwatkin has not fulfilled his duty so another company must do the job assigned to Rowland.

From the beginning of this exercise Gwatkin is unable to make proper decisions by himself. He relies upon his subalterns to remind him of key things such as having his maps, a basic part of maneuvering that requires one to be punctual at precise locations. While there is seemingly only one forgetful act from Gwatkin, the bigger picture is unveiled in his inability to lead his men and follow orders. There is no one who is able to take the reins and right this mistake due to his stature as ranking officer, but it is clear that Yanto Breeze is correct in his discussion of Gwatkin’s blunder with Nick. This is the first of many important events where Rowland is unable to get the job done without the assistance of others.

Rowland next exhibits his inability to act without seeking guidance, not in a military exercise, but in a social situation. He takes Nick out to the local bar one night, where he introduces Nick to Maureen, the bar’s maid, who he is highly interested in. After their drinks, Gwatkin proceeds to pour his heart out to Nick about Maureen and how wonderful she is. Nick asks him if he plans to make anything of the situation and Gwatkin acts very surprised. It is as if the thought had never occurred to him. He would be content to go the bar every night just to talk with Maureen and never take action. This could be because he is married or because he is too afraid. We have already observed one case where a wife has cheated on his husband while he’s been away in the army with Sergeant Pendry and it seems Gwatkin does not want to give his wife any reason to leave him. Jenkins seems to think otherwise, and encourages him to put his cards on the table and eventually try to seduce her.

Some days later Gwatkin tells Nick he has taken his advice and asked Maureen out. Rowland is extremely pleased and in a chance moment of reflection says “I really want to thank you, Nick, for making me take action – not hang about like a fool. That’s my weakness” (VB 198) Right there, in that line, Gwatkin’s fatal flaw is revealed. The balls up in the field was a forgivable miscue, and the timidity with which he acts towards Maureen is even less consequential, but the final act has yet to occur, the one that will lead to his ultimate downfall.

Gwatkin’s final gaff as a Captain is a tremendous one. Nick is on duty in Castlemallock awaiting calls in the Company Office one night when he gets a call from Maelgwyn-Jones and is confounded by what he hears. A mess of passwords, old a new are exchanged, only to reveal that Rowland has completely forgotten to alert his subalterns of the changes in passwords, having the lie in the process telling Maelgwyn-Jones that he is not up to date with the codes either. He reveals that he “went out with Maureen, and forgot I’d never told either of you.” (VB 209) This is a small insight into how relations are progressing with her and from this quote one can say that Gwatkin has become dependent on her for ease of mind and happiness. This almost entrancement with Maureen has lead him to have a big mental lapse, one that no matter who he turns to, is all his fault and cannot be corrected by another officer.

This incident leads to the coup de grace for Gwatkin. The result of Maelgwyn-Jones’s phone call is the company’s immediately march on Battalion so everyone must rush around and prepare to leave at once. Amongst the commotion of getting everyone in order and on parade, Gwatkin forgets about Bithel, who was put on house arrest the night before for allegedly kissing a waiter. That Bithel was not under escort is another terrible mistake made by Gwatkin, one that no one else could catch, as preparations to march were made. Little does Rowland know that it will be his last mistake, and his last act as Captain.

To be a proficient commanding field officer, one needs to act using intuition and at times spontaneity. As a Captain, Gwatkin does very little of this. He is very keen to do things by the book, as we see him refer to the pages of Infantry Training before proceeding on the first maneuver. This keenness is possibly the reason he was appointed a Captain in the first place but it does not help him when he forgets passwords and leaves people unescorted because he cannot rely on others to take care of these mistakes, which leads to his ultimate failure as a Captain in the Territorials.

For a period in Nick’s life, he believed himself to be in love with Jean. At the time, Jean is married to Bob Duport, and the situation is not a simple case of adultery. Until talking with Duport and Jimmy Brent, Nick is unaware of the entirety of the situation. Through the collection of parts of the situation that Nick, Duport, and Brent knew, we learn that Jean is not simply the sweet, quiet, docile girl whom Nick initially sees her as.

Nick’s relationship with Jean begins while she is living apart from Bob Duport and Nick believes that he and Jean are in love. Jean’s marriage is unimportant and not a threat because she and Duport have had many issues in the past and Nick does not see it as a threat. It takes him entirely by surprise, then, when Jean tells him of her relationship with Jimmy Stripling; this provokes in Nick “a desire to separate [him]self physically from her and the we were in linked with an overwhelming sensation that, more than ever, [he] wanted her for [him]self (AW, 142).” This may very well have been an attempt by Jean to begin her separation from Nick, creating an unnecessary uneasiness. Bob Duport finally returns to England and Nick accepts Jean’s implied obligation to go back to him. Nick “had supposed [him]self parting with Jean only in order that her own matrimonial situation might be patched up (KO, 180).”

When Nick speaks with Duport about Jean, he is surprised to learn that Jean was not simply having an affair with him. Bob is aware from some “something Jean herself let fall (KO, 180)” that Jean was in relationship with both Duport and another man at the same time. He also says that, while Jean went to South America under the pretense of being with him, she actually used him to buy her a ticket so that she could be with Jimmy Brent. Furthermore, Duport reports that Jean ‘ditched’ Brent as well – “can’t blame her for that. Nobody could stick Jimmy for long (KO, 181)” – talking with almost amusement at how fickle she is. She is also positively untrustworthy.

Jimmy Brent once again changes Nick’s view of Jean and also casts Duport in a new light. Brent does not describe Duport as if he were a rival and he does not seem to have been concerned by his competition for Jean. He says that when he met Jean he “thought Mrs Duport an attractive piece, but [he]’d never have dreamt of carrying things further if she hadn’t rung [him] up the next day (VB, 130).” Brent reveals that Jean continued to pursue him and Nick realizes that from the time she met Brent, “Jean had begun to speak with ever-increasing seriousness of joining up again with her husband; chiefly, she said, for the sake of their child (VB, 131).” Jean continued to pursue Brent even when he began to feel uncomfortable with her. He eventually managed to get away and avoid her; upon his return she was furious and the two finally parted. Jean is not pulled away from her relationship with Nick by another man’s pursuing her. She jumps from one relationship to the next as it suits her, becomes involved with multiple men at once if it suits her, and deceives Nick, Duport, and Brent. When she leaves them, they are all displeased with her careless actions.

The Jean that Nick knew when he loved her is entirely different from the Jean that appears in Duport’s and Brent’s stories. She is untrustworthy and careless, causing grief for all of the men she was involved with at the time. She may not have even been in love with Nick at any point. Though Nick no longer loves her, he is still hurt by what he has learned about her, stating that “though love may die, vanity lives on timelessly (VB, 128).”

In The Valley of Bones Nick is serving with a territorial unit made up of miners and a couple of bankers. Nick, who writes for a living, is the odd man out in his unit. Once, while watching Gwaktin look through his lock-box, Nick spies a work of fiction tucked away along with all the papers. Nick informs us, “This was the first evidence come to light that anyone in the unit had read a book for pleasure,” (VB 59). In particular this book was Puck of Pook’s Hill by Rudyard Kipling. This is the only time Nick finds anyone else in his unit in possession of a book of fiction. It is no coincidence that one of Kipling’s works is the only fiction encountered by Nick in his unit. Kipling was an immensely popular and prolific British author of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Much of what Kipling wrote had a military theme to it, thus making it appropriate for a military romantic like Gwatkin to read. In particular, “A Song to Mithras” from Puck of Pook’s Hill ends up being appropriate to Gwatkin’s situation.

Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay India on December 30th, 1865 and died on January 18th, 1936. As a boy he attended the United Service College in England, a school designed to prepare young men for the military. Since he was not able to get a scholarship to Oxford, Kipling returned to India after graduating from the United Service College and got a job as the assistant editor of the Civil & Military Gazette in Lahore. Thus began his writing career. In 1886 Kipling published his first work, a collection of poetry called Departmental Ditties. Kipling continued to publish a wide variety of works including novels, short stories, children’s books, and poetry until his death. Some of his most notable works are The Jungle Book, The Second Jungle Book, Just So Stories, Puck of Pook’s Hill, Kim, and such poems as “Gunga Din” and “If-“. Rudyard Kipling’s work was well received and he was very popular during his lifetime. In 1907 Kipling was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature “in consideration of the power of observation, originality of imagination, virility of ideas and remarkable talent for narration which characterize the creations of this world-famous author” (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1907/index.html).

Gwatkin, in The Valley of Bones, says that the story about the centurion in Puck of Pook’s Hill “was the one I liked best” (VB 59). The story likely helped to form Gwatkin’s romantic idea of the army. For instance, at one point in the story Parnesisus, the centurion, needs to discipline his men to keep them under control. Before Parnesius gets the chance, however, the general and aspiring-to-be-emperor Maximus shows up and questions Parnesius:

“‘What would you have done,” he said to me, “if I had not been here?”
“‘I should have killed that man,” I answered.       
“‘Kill him now,” he said. “He will not move a limb.”
“‘No,” I said. “You’ve taken my men out of my
command. I should only be your butcher if I killed him
now.” Do you see what I meant?’ Parnesius turned to Dan.        
‘Yes,’said Dan. ‘It wouldn’t have been fair, somehow.’

Passages such as this one give a perhaps unrealistic but ideal impression of the army; officers keeping strict discipline, but being fair at the same time. The whole story of the centurion is filled with romantic ideas such as the one above. With a book like Puck of Pook’s Hill as his introduction to the army, it is no surprise that Gwaktin’s view of the army does not quite match reality.

Kipling’s influence on Gwatkin can be seen by his interaction with Sayce. Nick tells us that Gwatkin believed, “a professional bad character was obviously a type from which no army could remain wholly free.” Just like in the story of the centurion, almost all stories of military fiction include a “bad character” who needs discipline. That likely includes all the stories that Gwatkin had read and The Valley of Bones as well. In Gwatkin’s case, his “bad character” was Sayce. While the circumstances and severity of the situations are different, Gwatkin’s romantic ideas demand that he be try to be fair with Sayce, just like the centurion was fair to the men he commanded. Rather than just punishing Sayce, which would have been too easy and perhaps unfair, Gwatkin tries to reason with him. He tries to be an ideal officer or even a hero in a way. Gwatkin tries to be the man who could make even Sayce into a good soldier, much like the centurion made the men, even the Gauls, he commanded into effective soldiers.

Puck of Pook’s Hill‘s influence on Gwatkin is noticeable, and yet Gwatkin says of Kipling’s other books, “I did try one of them. I couldn’t get on with it somehow.” Gwatkin’s ignorance of Kipling’s other works is a shame considering that a large portion of Kipling’s work had a military bent to it and would have appealed to Gwatkin’s romantic ideas. Soldier’s Three, for instance, opens with, “The Inexpressibles gave a ball. They borrowed a seven-pounder from the Gunners, and wreathed it with laurels, and made the dancing-floor plate glass…” This image of a ball decorated with a cannon would probably have caught Gwatkin’s fancy if he had ever tried that book. Kipling also published an entire collection of poetry called Barrack Room Ballads. Again many of those poems would likely have appealed to Gwatkin.

In particular, the poem “Tommy” is appropriate to The Dance. “Tommy” takes on the subject of the treatment of soldiers during peace time and war time. The poem says over and over how soldiers are disrespected during peace, but praised during war. The last stanza of “Tommy” is:

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’
“Chuck him out the brute!”        
But it’s “Saviour of `is country,” when the    
guns begin to shoot;       
Yes it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’        
anything you please;         
But Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool – you bet    
that Tommy sees!

The Dance demonstrates this very contradictory sentiment towards soldiers. In The Kindly Ones during Nick’s childhood, Bilson expresses what seems to be the widespread sentiment that good girls do not go with soldiers. And yet, after World War I and by the time that World War II has started, Nick and most of his family and friends are in the military. In fact, it seems that by World War II the characters in Dance view joining the army as the noble and proper thing to do.

Gwatkin was, however, fittingly fond of the poem “A Song to Mithras” from Puck of Pook’s Hill. This poem, a soldier’s prayer to Mithras, god of soldiers, asks Mithras for help in being a good soldier. In particular, the line “Mithras, also a soldier,” appears at the end of each stanza followed by request. “Give us strength”, “keep us true to our vows”, “keep us pure till the dawn”, and “teach us to die aright”; taken together, these requests paint a very romantic idea of a soldier’s responsibility. Gwatkin, however, mentions specifically to Nick only the line “keep us pure till dawn”. At the end of the book, when Nick and Gwatkin find Maureen in the glade with Gwylt, Gwatkin is crushed. Nick, joking in a way, reminds Gwatkin of the poem, ” `Gwylt ought to pray more to Mithras.’ `What do you mean?’ `You know – the Kipling poem – “keep us pure till dawn”‘ (VB 230).” Even though Gwatkin was in love with Maureen and deeply hurt by her, Kipling gives him a set of ideals, romantic and unrealistic as they may be, that he can fall back on. Ironic as it is that by getting involved with Maureen in the first place Gwatkin ignores the poems noble advice, “A Song to Mithras” does at least help him to cope after the fact.

Kipling was enormously popular during World War II, so it is not surprising that Nick encounters one of his works in his unit. Since Kipling wrote quite a bit of military fiction it is even less surprising that one of Kipling’s works was the only fiction Nick encountered. Kipling’s influence on Gwatkin can easily be seen in his romantic view of the military and in his interaction with Sayce. Gwatkin, however, has only read Puck of Pook’s Hill and misses out on the huge wealth of Kipling’s other writings, many of which he would probably have really enjoyed.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudyard_Kipling
http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1907/kipling-bio.html

The copy of Puck of Pook’s Hill I read was a Project Gutenberg e-text (since it’s in the public domain):
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext96/pkpkh10.txt

The bit from Soldier’s Three came from:
Kipling, Rudyard. Soldier’s Three, The Story of the Gadsbys, In Black and White. New York: Macmillan and Co., 1895.

And the bit of “Tommy” came from:
Kipling, Rudyard. Departmental Ditties and Ballads and Barrack Room Ballads. New York: Doubleday, Page, and Company, 1927.

Dicky Umfraville, an over-the-top character in Powell’s series A Dance to the Music of Time, appears in the seventh installment, The Valley of Bones. At Frederica’s home, Nick rekindles his acquaintance with Umfraville, speaking about Dicky’s previous marriages and his recent engagement to Frederica Tolland Budd. Seeing as Frederica will be his fifth wife, Dicky himself along with Nick find this situation to be a little ridiculous, especially given Umfraville’s precarious history with his previous wives. After revealing that fact, Dicky comments, “Something wrong with a man who keeps marrying like that” (149, VB). The reader naturally asks, what motivates Dicky to continually remarry? It is Umfraville’s continual dependence on women that stimulates his repeated search for love and companionship.

Umfraville’s first wife was Dolly Braybrook, an “absolute stunner,” and of fairly good standing, seeing as her father, “formerly commanded the Regiment” (152). Umfraville was madly in love with her, repeatedly proposing to her regardless of her negative responses, until one day, “she changed her mind, the way women do” (152). His “pertinacity” (152) in this case provides ample evidence that he needed someone to be with. The relationship between the two appeared to Umfraville as if things were going smoothly. Dolly, however, had different feelings because it was her that left him for Buster, and even after Buster left her, rather then coming back to Dicky she decided to take her life instead. After Umfraville heard this news, his longing for Dolly to return crumbled and he sought, “for someone to console” (154) him. The marriage between them lasted for over a year, the longest time Umfraville has been married.

Umfraville found another woman, Joy Grant, who comforted him not emotionally, but rather more physically. She was tart and he was fully aware of this fact because he comments, “at least that was her professional name, and a very suitable one too” (154-155) and he realized that he had to leave the Regiment after marrying Joy. Umfraville however probably should not have risked so much because it was a matter of months, or even weeks, before the two split apart. They had already been living a “cat-and-dog life,” (155) which entails that they were constantly arguing and bickering with each other. Upon arrival to Nairobi, Joy leaves Umfraville for another man named Castlemallock, who she also leaves for Jo Breen. Seeing as Umfraville falls so low as to marry a prostitute for companionship portrays his dependence on the opposite sex. The fact that this was Umfraville’s second wife to leave him disturbed him, and so he decided the he would, “be the one to do the cattle rustling,” (156).

In his third marriage, he stole the wife of a Division Commissioner. Umfraville speaks very little about this matrimony, refusing even to speak her name. Her sudden death due to enteric, which deals with the gastrointestinal system, after only six months of marriage, is most likely why he declines to elaborate. Umfraville also says very little about Lady Anne Stepney, who was his fourth wife and whom he stole from Barnby at Foppa’s quite some time ago. Saying that, “that was a crazy thing to do, to marry Anne” (156), Umfraville confirms that the severe age difference between the two was most likely the main problem in their marriage. It was because of this slump and that Umfraville aggressively began looking for love that proves his desire for womanly company.

Moving from Anne, however, it seems that Umfraville has high hopes for his marriage to Frederica. He considers her to be his, “salvation,” and that they will be, “the model married couple,” (156). By calling her his “salvation,” Dicky again emphasizes that he continually needs a female companion in life. It seems that he is simply following the same patterns as with his first two wives. Whether it is simply bad luck with women in general, or for some reason scares them away with his over-dependence, Dicky Umfraville seems doomed to be alone. We will have to see how he does with Frederica.

In The Valley of Bones, Nick Jenkins finds himself needing to adapt to a completely foreign environment. He lives with, sleeps with, and eats with an army of strangers. Nick, however, quickly makes new friends, and easily fits in. For example, on his first day, “Kedward gratifyingly treated (him) as if (they) had known each other all (their) lives.(13)” Despite Jenkins’ newly formed acquaintances, people from his past do not completely disappear from his life. His old friend, Widmerpool, comes through to make an appearance in the last few pages of the book.

After finishing the first four books in A Dance To the Music of Time, I wrote a paper evaluating Widmerpool’s character. I explored how his insecurities are present since his younger years at Eton. Now, however, after reading The Valley of Bones, I have formed a different outlook on this recurrent character. This book does not follow my previous thesis that Widmerpool still possesses traits of his insecure younger self, but rather he has finally reached a turning point in his life.

From A Question of Upbringing to At Lady Molly’s, Widmerpool experiences the life of a social outcast. At Eton, his classmates ridicule him and he proves to be the character of an non-athletic and non-matured student. After his college years, he still carries about an ‘air of uneasiness’ and suffers from many insecurities. Never actually getting married, Widmerpool simply carries on with his life as an awkward young man.

After reading The Kindly Ones, Nick approaches Widmerpool for help getting into the army. At this point, it seems as if Widmerpool has slightly grown and matured. However, a hint of insecurity is shown as Widmerpool trembles and turns white when they sight Gypsy Jones giving a public speech. To him, she brings back “the ghastly reminder of failure, misery, degradation. (228)” After this sighting, he “walks at a much sharper pace, without any of his former bravura. (228)”

In the war years, however, Widmerpool proves to be much more assertive and confident. The Valley of Bones is the first book where he displays an overpowering air about him, especially over Nick. At the very end of VB, Nick goes to the DAAG office, finding, to his surprise, Widmerpool sitting behind the desk. Jenkins’ describes that he is “enormously glad to see him.(239)” This reaction is largely due to the fact that he has not encountered a familiar face in so long. He wonders how he used to view Widmerpool “in the disobliging light that seemed to innate since (they) had been at school together… even though he had never possessed anything approaching a warm relationship with Widmerpool.(240)” This shows that both men have matured, and are at completely different stage in their life than the days when Widmerpool was mocked and ridiculed.

However, this initial feeling of recognition and comfort does not last long as Widmerpool continues speaking. His feeling of overconfidence is apparent as he begins to explain his job. He explains that his work is “much more than one man can cope with. It was too much for my predecessor. That was to be expected. Now I thrive on work, but I saw at once that even I must have assistance.(241)” He then went even further, informing Jenkins of his job. “You will be expected to help while you are here in other capacities than purely “A” duties. When in the field- on exercises, I mean- you will be something of a dogsbody…with which you are no doubt familiar. You understand? (242)” As defined by dictionary.com, a dogsbody is one who does menial work; one who does all the unpleasant jobs. Widmerpool implies here than Jenkins has experiences involving this type of drudgery and does not think twice about assigning it to him.

Overall, The Valley of Bones seems to be the turning point of Widmerpool’s character. Starting as an insecure university student, he evolves into a power-hungry officer in the war. Nick’s final thought about Widmerpool’s new-found power is that “this for some reason, gave me a disagreeable, sinking feeling within. (243)” With five more books to go, we can only continue reading to find out if this change in Widmerpool is permanent.

England’s Territorial Army, originally called the Territorial Force, was organized in its World War Two form on February 7, 1920. On October 1 of the same year, its name was changed to Territorial Army . The Territorials are civilians who volunteer to be part of the reserve forces, as opposed to the regular forces . When first formed, 14, later expanded to 26, infantry and cavalry divisions were created, and each was named according to their recruiting grounds. One of the hallmarks of these divisions is that those who served in them could not be forced to serve overseas, instead, they had to volunteer if they were to go overseas . Even though these units would not be sent overseas, except in extreme circumstances, they were intended to, and succeeded in doing two things: providing additional fighting units, and in some cases, “rounding out” regular divisions.

Sometimes a Territorial division would be disestablished, but its component regiments and battalions would be used to fill out the total strength of a Regular unit . This proves to be beneficial by providing Regular units with additional manpower, while providing Territorials with an opportunity to serve in the Regular army, and thus possibly participate in the fighting against Germany. This was a highly desired thing among most Territorials because they wanted to avenge the losses of the British Expeditionary Force. This anger that was engendered in the British people is one of the major reasons why Britian was able to maintain its defenses during the darkest time of the war: the Blitz. At the same time, however, the incluseion of the less well trained Territorials also had a detrimental effect on the performance of the Regular unit that they joined. Since they were not as well trained, Territorials tended to take longer and perform tasks more slowly, which could hurt a unit while it was under fire.

The Territorial units provided the Regular army with additional units that could be committed to the front, thus enhancing the total combat strength of the army on the front lines. However, because the Territorials are not required to go overseas, and instead must volunteer, their units were hardly used in this manner. Most of the divisions might serve for a short time, and then they would be disestablished and sent to support the regular units towards the middle of the war. It is in this second role that most of the Territorials actually saw service overseas. While the Territorial units were training and serving in the United Kingdom, a certain esprit de corps was developed. However, when the Territorial units were mixed with the Regular formations, this was lost . However, by providing additional strength, these Territorial units provided significant help to the depleted Regular units, giving them a chance to recover their strength. By providing them the manpower that they needed, Territorial units ended up participating in the fighting. In a way, this runs counter to the original intent of the Territorials.    

In The Valley of Bones, Nick serves in the Territorial Army. Nick seeks to join, in some capacity, the army and fight against Germany. This attitude was a very common one at the time, as most Britons were looking to fight against Germany. Towards the very end of The Kindly Ones, Nick asks both Wildmerpool (220) and Stanley Jeavons if they can help him get involved in the military (252). Thanks to Stanley’s help, Nick’s name is drawn, and he becomes a second lieutenant in a Territorial unit. These Territorial units served a variety of purposes during the Second World War, and were a large factor in helping the British succeed.

Sources:

“Reserve Forces” The British Army. http://www.armedforces.co.uk/army/listings/l0070.html 2/26/2008.

“Territorial Army.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_Army 2/1/2008. 2/26/2008.

Nick Jenkins has always wanted to be a soldier. In The Kindly Ones, we learn about his childhood in a military family and his quest, as an adult, to join the Army himself. At the beginning of The Valley of Bones, we see that Nick has accomplished this goal; he is now a field officer, albeit a low-level one. We follow him through the early stages of his life as a soldier, and while Nick is hardly a glowing beacon of heroic leadership to his men, neither is he noticeably incompetent. Why, then, does he switch from regimental to staff officer within one book, after trying so hard to be assigned to a field unit? Why does Widmerpool say to Nick, almost as an accepted fact, “I take it you did not find yourself specially cut out to be a regimental officer”? (242) Most interesting of all: why does Nick agree with him?

By now, we know all too well that Nick is an observer. Military service may have been his childhood dream job, but he happens to be perfectly suited to his occupation as an adult: writing. He has stuck with it despite Widmerpool’s insistence that there is no potential for advancement in such a job; Nick knows this, but never seems to want power as badly as Widmerpool does. This tendency to dismiss ambition backfires on Nick when it comes to the army, however. Widmerpool, always one to look out for his own interests, secures a post in the military and begins his advancement well before it occurs to most others to join. Nick, on the other hand, though he knows he wants to be a soldier, is decidedly behind on getting there. He is eager enough to find an army post once it becomes clear that the war will begin soon, but he, like many others, lacks Widmerpool’s calculating foresight.

Gwatkin’s attitude towards war is directly opposite to Widmerpool’s. He holds a romantic view of his command, seeing himself as a sort of idealized heroic leader. Although he might be a brilliant commander within the confines of his own imagination, though, the reality is that Gwatkin tends to botch his assignments. His plans are often obsessively “by the book,” and he has a bit too much confidence in his abilities as an inspirational leader; the Sayce incident, for example, illustrates Gwatkin’s failure to grasp even the basics of character analysis-the reader, the other officers, and Nick himself all realize the futility of trying to convert Sayce into a morally commendable human being, but Gwatkin persists in trying to activate a conscience that is probably long gone.

Nick falls somewhere between Widmerpool and Gwatkin. He has not joined the military as part of a full-steam-ahead charge to the top of the power structure, as Widmerpool has done, but has joined out of a simple but deep-rooted conviction that he is meant to become a soldier. This desire to serve his country, however, falls short of Gwatkin’s blind devotion to a dream; Nick, thankfully, remains mostly grounded in reality and retains the insight we all know and love.

This insight, though, may be what contributes to Nick’s difficulty in adapting to his role as a regimental officer. As long as we have known Nick, we have seen him interacting with others on a limited basis. Nick tends to make observations, some almost unnaturally perceptive, about those around him, but he rarely puts himself in the spotlight. He has yet to demonstrate any outstanding leadership skills, and his life is not ruled by ambition. We recognize that Nick is generally stingy with information about those he loves, but it is entirely possible that he is equally reticent about the people that bore him. There must be any number of people that Nick speaks with on a daily basis but never mentions in his narration; perhaps his troops are more of the same. The only characters that are usually fully developed are those roughly within Nick’s own social circle-others, whether higher or lower in rank, may be given brief mention if they happen to possess some interesting quirk that catches Nick’s eye, but General Liddament and Sayce, for example, are given far less of his attention than Gwatkin or Kedward. In most previous situations, Nick has focused intently on individuals and their relationships, and has never before been required to focus on large groups of people at once. This, combined with the fact that he probably does not find his troops very interesting, makes for a difficult situation as a regimental officer.

Nick’s devotion to the service of his country is admirable, but he is always the man that observes the action, and never the man of action himself. He lacks both Gwatkin’s desire to lead and Widmerpool’s desire for power, and he continues, in the habit of his normal life, to treat a select few people like interesting specimens while almost ignoring the rest. That is not to say he was a poor field officer; he seemed to carry out his duties with skill and dedication and to care about the well-being of his men. Even as a child, though, Nick was an observer, as noted and praised by General Conyers; he also predicted that Nick’s skill in that regard would serve him well. Nick’s talent in noticing the details, which might be spread too thin on a field assignment, could be vastly beneficial in a staff assignment. If that is the case, then the fact that Nick was not “specially cut out” to be a regimental officer is hardly the failure that Widmerpool makes it sound. Widmerpool may not be overburdened with insight, but perhaps another authority might recognize that there is more than one way for Nick to serve his country in the war.

Anthony Powell’s The Valley of Bones ushers in a new chapter of Nick Jenkin’s life, his involvement with the military. Instead of dancing around from party to party, Nick is practicing drill after drill, taking orders and learning a different style of living with a group of characters new to both him and us. It is not long before we meet Nick’s commanding officer Rowland Gwatkin, a novelty in and of himself. Perhaps the most unusual character in the entire book, Gwatkin’s story is a sad one. His journey as captain is riddled with mistakes, ultimately ending in his demotion. While not difficult to foreshadow, I believe that Gwatkin’s fall was entirely too bad. His blunders certainly could lead nowhere else but down, but his character and personality were made only from good intentions.

If it difficult to say whether we are ever supposed to like Gwatkin. His introduction gives us no real reason to dislike him, but at the same time no real reason to like him. “That was my first sight of Rowland Gwatkin. He appeared on that occasion almost to perfection in the part for which he had cast himself: in command, something of a martinet, a trifle unapproachable to his subordinates, at the same time not without his human side, above all a man dedicated to duty. It was a clear-cut, hard-edged picture into which Gwatkin himself, for some reason, never quite managed to fit.” I believe Nick’s account of Gwatkin is a fairly accurate one, yet it also gives us high expectations for an exact replica. Perhaps as much as Gwatkin himself, the characters around him want him to be the “Stendhalian hero” he portrays himself as. Because of this expectation, Gwatkin’s numerous mishaps are viewed with a much more critical eye than usual.

The reason Gwatkin holds my respect is not because of the image he has created for himself, rather because he’s just an average guy “Rowland’s not all that bloody marvelous at banking” trying to fulfill that image. He is a simple banker, fighting in a war he didn’t start, and instead of letting the cards fall as they will, he created a heroic image for himself, and in my opinion put his best effort forward in meeting that heroic standard. Gwatkin’s only flaw is in being human. It is a shame that characters are inclined to see only the flaws in Rowland’s character. We ourselves see that he could never become a true Stendhalian hero through his interactions with Nick. Their relation goes against Gwatkin’s strict code of formality. It shows us that even he needs support. Gwatkin’s inaptitude with women is another example of his humanistic flaws, perhaps even the reason behind some of his blunders. “I don’t know why I think her quite so wonderful, but I just do. It worries me that I think about her all the time. I’ve found myself forgetting things, matters of duty I mean.” Unfortunately for him, forgetting to tell his subordinates new code words can only translate to demotion of rank. In the end it was forgetfulness that led Gwatkin to his `relative’ demise. Forgetting such things as the code words, forgetting to file reports, and even forgetting people are certain points.

In my opinion Gwatkin’s reaction to his demotion speaks more to his character than any other of his actions. There are many explosive responses to the failure of one’s dream and ambition; we see none of them from Roland. Instead of acting like the world had ended he holds his head high and accepts the news of his demotion with dignity. His conversation with Nick shows us that the only anger Gwatkin is feeling is directed at himself, and there is a desire to find the problem and fix it to the best of his ability. “He spoke without self-pity, just lack of understanding, deep desire to know the answer why, so far as he was concerned, things had gone so wrong. I was not even sure I knew the explanation myself. He had worked hard, and in many respects was a good officer.” From the mouth of Nick Jenkins “he was a good officer.” I fully agree with that statement. Perhaps Gwatkin was never meant to be a brilliant military mind, but there is no doubt that his exceptional attitude will take him places. The end of the very last chapter takes its final blow at Gwatkin by him stumbling upon Maureen with another man. This time however our expectations of Gwatkin being a Stendhalian hero do not fail us. “He smiled in an odd sort of way, as if he dimly perceived it was no good battling against Fate. Gwatkin marched away, looking a trifle absurd with his little moustache, but somehow rising above that.”