A Man Could Stand Up— · Chapter
VI explained
Tietjens, reclining on a mound, reflects on his sentimental situation and his machine guns.
What happens
Tietjens, reclining on a mound, reflects on his sentimental situation and his machine guns. He sends Lance-Corporal Duckett for food and Second-Lieutenant Aranjuez to B Company. He contemplates the influenza ravaging the troops, the misery of German soldiers, and his hatred for civilian rulers. After a confrontation with General Campion, who insults him and orders him to fall out, Tietjens resolves to appeal to higher authority. He thinks of Valentine Wannop, his immutable love, and decides not to write to her to spare her pain. He shares a moment with Aranjuez, who hero-worships him, and then inspects B Company's wet trench, feeling satisfaction at his syphon's work amid an overwhelming artillery demonstration.
Themes in this chapter
Trauma of War
Tietjens reflects on the misery of soldiers, the horror of German troops with half-empty stomachs, and the psychological toll of constant shelling.
Love and Commitment
Tietjens's immutable love for Valentine Wannop, his decision not to write to her to spare her pain, and his resolve to be with her despite the war.
Madness and Sanity
Tietjens contemplates the possibility of going 'dotty' and the nightmares induced by the war, reflecting on the thin line between sanity and madness.
Characters to notice
- Christopher Tietjens
Reclines on a mound, reflecting on his machine guns, his love for Valentine, and his confrontation with General Campion. Resolves to appeal against Campion's insult.
- Lance-Corporal Duckett
Sent by Tietjens to A Company dugout for a sandwich and coffee with rum.
- Lieutenant Aranjuez
Sent to B Company to announce Tietjens's inspection; later returns, having lost an eye, and hero-worships Tietjens, asking about his love.
- General Lord Edward Campion
Confronts Tietjens in the trench, insults him, and orders him to fall out; takes over the Army on Monday.
- Valentine Wannop
Tietjens reflects on his immutable love for her, her freckled appearance, and decides not to write to her to avoid causing her pain.
- Notting
Adjutant who informs Tietjens that General Campion wants to see him and expresses concern about Tietjens's safety.
- Lieutenant Constantine
Former B Company Commander, killed two nights before; his remains may be hanging in barbed wire.
Key passages
“He had to be alone. To reflect on his sentimental situation and his machine guns.”
Tietjens needed solitude to think about his romantic feelings and his responsibilities with the machine guns.
Highlights Tietjens's dual concerns: personal emotions and military duty.
“It was a ghastly thought, that of that whole vast territory that confronted them, filled with millions of half-empty stomachs that bred disorders in the miserable brains.”
Tietjens finds it horrifying to imagine the vast enemy territory filled with millions of underfed soldiers whose hunger drives them to mental instability.
Reflects Tietjens's empathy and horror at the suffering of German troops.
“He said to Aranjuez's wistful, enquiring eyes: 'So that no toast more ignoble may ever be drunk out of it!'”
Tietjens throws away the cup, declaring that no lesser toast should ever be made with it, implying his devotion to his love.
Symbolic act of commitment to Valentine, witnessed by the admiring Aranjuez.
