# IV explained — Now It Can Be Told

> Chapter companion for Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs.

## What happens

The narrator describes a tense visit to a brigade headquarters near Vermelles under German bombardment, observing the psychological strain on officers and men, the hostility of regular staff towards war correspondents, and the grim aftermath of battle in the ruined village.

## Themes in this chapter

### Psychological Trauma

The narrator analyzes the fear and forced laughter of officers awaiting a close call of death, highlighting the psychological camouflage of the soul under bombardment.

### Comradeship and Human Spirit

The calm presence of the sergeant-major and the shared experience of reprieve after the shelling ends illustrate the human spirit's resilience.

### Class and Inequality

The brigade major's Christ Church arrogance and the officers' hostility toward the narrator reflect class tensions and the divide between regulars and outsiders.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator experiences fear and self-mastery under shellfire, observes the psychology of the officers, and later walks through the ruins of Vermelles.

### The Officer

The narrator's companion, a former ruler in India, who advises a young subaltern to take cover and later navigates the bombardment with the narrator.

### The Boy

A pale young subaltern leading a body of men under shrapnel fire, who asks for advice and is told to put his men in a ditch.

### The Colonel

The brigade major, a tall, handsome young man with arrogance, who questions the narrator's presence and later offers a civil but pointed farewell.

## Key lines

> It rather looks as though the Germans knew there is a party on in that charming house.

It seems the Germans are aware of the gathering in that attractive house.

_The narrator's companion comments on the shelling targeting the château._

> I was perfectly conscious myself that in a moment or two some of us, perhaps all of us, might be in a pulp of mangled flesh beneath the ruins of a redbrick villa

I was fully aware that soon some or all of us could be crushed to death under the collapsed building.

_The narrator reflects on the imminent danger of death from the bombardment._

> Their laughter was the camouflage of the soul.

Their laughter was a cover for their inner fear.

_The narrator interprets the officers' laughter as a psychological defense mechanism._

> No one is allowed along this road in daylight, as a rule. It's under hobservation of the henemy.

This road is usually off-limits during the day because the enemy is watching it.

_The young soldier-guide casually reveals the danger of the route they are taking._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters