Volume 7
A SONG TO MITHRAS (Hymn of the XXX Legion: circa 350 A.D.) Rudyard Kipling MITHRAS, God of the Morning, our trumpets waken the Wall! `Rome is above the Nations, but Thou art over all!' Now as the names are answered, and the guards are marched away, Mithras, also a soldier, give us strength for the day! Mithras, God of the Noontide, the heather swims in the heat. Our helmets scorch our foreheads, our sandals burn our feet. Now in the ungirt hour-now ere we blink and drowse, Mithras, also a soldier, keep us true to our vows! Mithras, God of the Sunset, low on the Western main- Thou descending immortal, immortal to rise again! Now when the watch is ended, now when the wine is drawn, Mithras, also a soldier, keep us pure till the dawn! Mithras, God of the Midnight, here where the great bull dies, Look on thy children in darkness. Oh take our sacrifice! Many roads thou hast fashioned-all of them lead to the Light, Mithras, also a soldier, teach us to die aright! Roland Gwatkin refers with feeling to Kipling's poem, above, in The Valley of Bones. Synopsis Character List A Letter from John Potter (2002) Essays: 2001-2 The Lost "Monks of War" -- Doug Presley Umfraville's Five -- Katherine Leonard Almost at the Top -- Gauri Kirloskar A Man Dedicated to Duty -- Will Story The Jenkins's Marriage -- Madeleine Fawcett Prepared for War -- Ash Verdery Changing of Command -- Zachary Smotherman 2007-8 There Ought to be Porridge! -- Paul McCarthy Kenneth Widmerpool: The Embodiment of a Narcissistic Personality Disorder -- Cassidy Carpenter World War II: Nick's Adventure to the Emerald Isle -- Erica Bakies Rowland Gwatkin: Vigny's Ideal Soldier, Almost -- Alyssa Warren Why Bones? -- Nick Anschuetz Model Soldier: Rowland Gwatkin the Stendhalian Hero -- Jimmy Yang Gwatkin: Almost Getting by with a Little Help from his Friends -- Mike Donelan Jean's Changing Image -- Kym Louie Kipling and Gwatkin's Military Romance -- William Koven Dicky Umfraville: The Definition of Dependence -- John Bukawyn Widmerpool: A Changed Man -- Nicole Lee Territorial Ambitions -- James Seman Not Specially Cut Out: Nick's Brief Career as a Regimental Officer -- Corey Simpson Rowland Gwatkin: A Good Guy Dealt a Lousy Hand -- Alex Svec |
The Valley of Bones begins in Wales in early 1940. Jenkins arrives at the Anti-Gas Warfare School, where he first must deal with the poor bed-making skills of his new platoon. Together with a number of the junior officers, he helps make a dummy and lays it in Bithel's bed as a "rag." Bithel, who is drunk, acts as if the dummy is a woman, embarrassing everyone. Jenkins learns that Bithel's reputation as a relative of a Victory Cross winner and a famous rugger player is false.
The company is sent to Castlemallock, in Northern Ireland. Deafy Morgan is attacked and his rifle stolen, the event being blamed on Bithel. During a field exercise, Gwatkin messes up roally by having his company fall far behind schedule. Sgt. Pendry, who learns his wife is having an affair back home, dies, either from an attack or from suicide. Jenkins meets Pennistone and Barnby on his way to a course at Aldershot. There he meets Odo Stevens, a free spirited officer, and runs into Jimmy Brent, who tells him he had an affair with Jean Duport. Afterwards, Jenkins spends a leave at Frederica's. There he learns Flavia Wisebite is involved with Robert, Dickie Umfraville is engaged to Frederica. Odo Stevens, who drives Jenkins there, makes a hit with Pricilla. Buster Foxe shows up; Mrs. Foxe is divorcing him. As Jenkins and Stevens leave, Isobel announces she is about to have their baby. Back at Castlemallock, Gwatkin introduces Jenkins to the object of his infatuation, the barmaid Maureen. Later, Bithel, drunk, apparently tries to kiss the bartender at the officer's mess. Gwatkin arrests him, but forgets to file the report the next day. Then he forgets to pass on proper codes to Jenkins and the other officers. The upshot of all this is that Bithel is promoted to the head of the Mobile Laundry, and Gwatkin is relieved of his command. Jenkins is reassigned to the office of the DAAG (Deputy Assistant Adjutant General). On a farewell walk, Gwatkin and Jenkins discover Maureen in an embrace with Gwylt. Jenkins reports to the DAAG, to discover - with dismay - that it is Widmerpool. |
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These are the major characters in this volume, organized by chapter. The Tollands are not listed, but all of them may be found by clicking their name. Chapter 1 2nd Lieut. Idwal Kedward - a platoon commander CSM Cadwallander - the Company Sergeant-Major Capt. Roland Gwatkin - Company Commander Sgt. Pendry - Jenkins's platoon sergeant Lt. Yanto Breeze - a platoon commander Lt. Bithel - older man, a newly-arrived commissioned officer Chapter 2 Cpl. Gwylt - cheerfully womanizing NCO Lance Cpl. Gittins - CSM Cadwallander's brother-in-law Pvt. Sayce - the company bad character Pvt. Deafy Morgan - a good soldier, hard of hearing General Liddament - imperious general, Commander of Division Chapter 3 David Pennistone - officer, met years before with orchid at Milly Andriadis's party Odo Stevens - officer met at course at Aldershot Jimmy Brent - old friend of Peter Templer Flavia Wisebite - Stringham's older sister, enamored of Robert Tolland Dickie Umfraville - officer, former nightclub manager, engaged to Frederica Tolland Budd Chapter 4 Maureen - a barmaid, Gwatkin's Irish infatuation Widmerpool - himself |
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Doug Presley 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 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. |
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Katherine Leonard 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. |
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Gauri Kirloskar 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. |
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Will Story 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!" |
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Madeleine Fawcett 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. |
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Ash Verdery 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. |
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Zachary Smotherman 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) |
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I just thought I'd write a quick email to say thanks to you and your students for the excellent website and all the work that you've all put into it. I am quite envious. I just finished reading the student papers for The Valley of Bones and was very interested as ever. Zachary Smotherman was very interesting on Widmerpool, and so was Madeleine Fawcett with her appraisal of the Jenkins marriage. Katherine Leonard's 'Umfraville's Five' was very entertaining as well as thorough with her assessment of the effects of Dependent Personality Disorder - something new to me. In fact it's unfair really to single out any paper as they were all very well done and showed, I think, that the students are getting to grips with the books and enjoying them. I then went back and re-read their papers on The Kindly Ones. I was pleased to see Bracey and his 'funny days' mentioned by Doug Presley. I am a great fan of Bracey and of the first chapter of KO which I once wrote an article about myself. (It should still be on the AP website archive, I think). But my main reason for looking again was of course to see those photos of the Seven Deadly Sins. So now I know a little more about you all. Anyway, please tell the students that there's an Englishman in faraway Japan who is following their readings and writings with great pleasure. Best wishes, John Potter |