Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Summary of Part Three Chapter One

Summary:
Tietjens wakes up. General Campion and Colonel Levin are both present in front of him. Campion asks Teitjens a series of trivial questions with formality. It was “the extreme politeness of the extremely great to the supremely unimportant!” (Ford, 445). The general demands Teitjens to put on his belt, and informs Teitjens that he will be walking around his cook-houses with Teitjens. The general leaves, and Tietjens marches back to the hut. “It was purgatory” (Ford, 447). He arrives at the hut, and starts to converse with McKechnie, who “complains that he is the senior officer and should command this unit” (Ford, 449). Levin tells McKechnie to give up on the thought and leave the hut. Soon, Levin and Tietjens are on their way to meeting with the general. “In the winter sunlight Levin tucked his arm under Tietjens’, leaning towards him gaily and not hurrying. The display was insufferable to Tietjens, but he recognized that it was indispensable” (Ford, 450). On the way, Levin inquires “Was O’Hara drunk last night or wasn’t he?” (Ford, 451). Levin reveals the general, as well as his own concern for what happened at the hotel last night. He also lets Tietjens becomes aware of the fact that Tietjens talk while he sleeps. Levin says “we used to say when we were boys…that if you talk in your sleep…you’re …in fact a bit dotty?” (Ford, 453). Tietjens explains that this queer habit results from the pressure and stress from the war. Then the two men engage in an intense conversation regarding what did Tietjens say in his sleep and what happened last night. To explain the general’s major trouble, Levin tells Tietjens that he said Miss Wannop’s name a lot in his sleep. Levin continues and says “you appeared to be writing a letter to her. And the sunlight streaming in at the hut. I was going to wake you, but he stopped me. He took the view that he was on detective work, and that he might as well detect. He had got it into his mind that you were a Socialist” (Ford, 457). Tietjens becomes emotional and claims that he is not afraid of being cut out. After calming down, Levin speaks more of General O’Hara’s accusations against Tietjens, and Tietjens beings to reveal more about what happened last night. “General O’Hara came to my wife’s room and burst in the door. I was there. I took him to be drunk. But from what he exclaimed I have since imagined that he was not so much drunk as misled. There was another man lying in the corridor where I had thrown him. General O’Hara exclaimed that this was Major Perowne. I had not realized that this was Major Perowne…he was looking round the door. My wife was in a state…bordering on nudity. I had put my hand under his chin and thrown him through the doorway” (Ford, 460). Tietjens further remarks the fact that Major Thurston has told General Caomion “that Mrs. Tietjens was with Major Perowne. In France” (Ford, 462). “He hears Major Perowne shouting about black mail and thieves….I dare say this town has its quota of blackmailers. O’Hara might well be anxious to catch one in the act” (Ford, 463). Tietjens concludes that he has told Levin everything about what happened last night.
Tietjen’s mind detached form his body:
“His legs heflt like detached and swollen objects that he dragged after him. He must mater his legs. He mastered his legs.” (Ford, 447).
“I think I have now told you everything material….” (Ford, 464).
Comradeship
“In the winter sunlight Levin tucked his arm under Tietjens’, leaning towards him gaily and not hurrying. The display was insufferable to Tietjens, but he recognized that it was indispensable” (Ford, 450).
“I remember that my orderw were conflicting just before
Tietjens’ Toryism:
“It was no doubt, really the voices form without that had awakened Tietjens, but he preferred to think the matter a slight intervention of Providence, because he felt in need of a sign of some sort!” (Ford, 444).
“If we lose, they win. If success is necessary to your idea of virtue – virtus – they then provide the success instead of ourselves. But the thing is to be able to stick to the integrity of your character, whatever earthquake sets the house tumbling over your head….That, thank God, we’re doing…” (Ford, 454).
The Parade of History:
“We lie and betray and are wanting in imagination and deceive ourselves, always, at about the same rate. In peace and in war! But, somewhere in that view there are enormous bodies of men….If you got a still more extended range of view over this whole front you’d have still more enormous bodies of men. Seven to ten million….All moving towards places towards which they desperately don’t want to go. Desperately! Every one of them I desperately afraid. But they go on. An immense blind will forces them in the effort to consummate the one decent action that humanity has to its credit in the whole of recorded history; the one we are engaged in” (Ford, 454).
“Only there will be no more parades. Sooner or later it has to come to that for us all…” (463).

No comments: