Dance to the Music of Time

THE VALLEY OF BONES -- 2007-8, PAGE 2

Page 2

Jean's Changing Image

Kym Louie

      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)."

Dicky Umfraville: The Definition of Dependence

John Bukawyn

      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.

Widmerpool: A Changed Man

Nicole Lee

      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.

Territorial Ambitions

James Seman

      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:

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

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

Not Specially Cut Out: Nick's Brief Career as a Regimental Officer

Corey Simpson

      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.

Rowland Gwatkin: A Good Guy Dealt a Lousy Hand

Alex Svec

      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."

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