# Part I: Observers and Commanders explained — Now It Can Be Told > Chapter companion for Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs. ## What happens The narrator reflects on the role of war correspondents during World War I, describing the immense psychological toll of witnessing death and suffering daily, the grueling work of covering battles across a hundred-mile front, and the tension between the desire for peace and the duty to chronicle the war. The chapter contrasts the callousness of civilian England with the bravery of soldiers, and offers a critical portrait of British generals—uniform in appearance and conservative in method—while singling out Sir John Harington as a rare scientific and humane staff officer who planned battles with precision and sought to bridge the gap between the front line and the staff. ## Themes in this chapter ### Psychological Trauma The narrator describes the searing effect of witnessing death daily, the agony of seeing wounded soldiers, and the hatred of those who remained callous to the suffering. ### Propaganda and Deception The narrator criticizes the 'cheery' war articles, bishops praising God as commander-in-chief, and the callous optimism of noncombatants, contrasting with the grim reality seen by correspondents. ### Class and Inequality The narrator notes the disparity between the comfortable home front (munitions workers buying furs, laughing girls) and the soldiers in the trenches, as well as the conservative, upper-class nature of the generals. ### Betrayal by Leadership The narrator criticizes generals for lacking the inspirational quality of great commanders, for being conservative and distant, and for demanding sacrifice without inspiring devotion. ## Character check-ins ### Unknown Narrator The narrator reflects on the psychological burden of witnessing war, the hatred of noncombatants' callousness, and the daily grind of covering battles. ### Percival Phillips Mentioned as a fellow war correspondent who turned 'pink-and-white under the hideous strain of nervous control.' ### Sir John Harington Praised as the organizing brain of the Second Army, a scientific and humane staff officer who briefed correspondents with candor and sought to break down prejudice between troops and staff. ### Sir Herbert Plumer Commander of the Second Army, given credit for sound judgment in general ideas and choice of men, though the narrator cannot assess his exact share. ### Poor Old Tommy Atkins Representative of the common soldier; the narrator notes he could speak to Tommies as human beings due to the correspondents' civilian status. ### The Australians Mentioned as troops whose fighting merit was not accounted for by smartness in saluting, contrasting with the generals' criteria. ## Key lines > It was the duration of all the drama of death that seared one's soul as an onlooker; the frightful sum of sacrifice that we were recording day by day. The endless spectacle of death burned into the observer's soul; the terrible total of sacrifice we documented each day. _The narrator expresses the cumulative psychological impact of witnessing continuous death._ > There were times when it became intolerable and agonizing, and when I at least desired peace-at-almost-any-price, peace by negotiation, by compromise, that the river of blood might cease to flow. At moments the pain was unbearable, and I wanted peace at nearly any cost—through negotiation or compromise—so the bloodshed would stop. _The narrator admits to moments of wanting peace at almost any price due to the horror of war._ > I, as an onlooker, hated the people who had not seen, and were callous of this misery; the laughing girls in the Strand greeting the boys on seven days' leave; the newspaper editors and leader-writers whose articles on war were always 'cheery'; the bishops and clergy who praised God as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied armies... As a witness, I despised those who hadn't seen the suffering and were indifferent: girls laughing in the Strand, editors writing cheerful war pieces, bishops praising God as the Allies' commander. _The narrator expresses anger at the civilian population's apparent indifference to the war's true horror._ > Among them there was not one whose personality had that mysterious but essential quality of great generalship—inspiring large bodies of men with exalted enthusiasm, devotion, and faith. None of the generals possessed the mysterious, essential quality of great leadership that inspires large forces with enthusiasm, devotion, and faith. _The narrator criticizes the British generals for lacking the charisma of historical commanders like Wellington or Napoleon._ > He was a chemist explaining the factors of a great experiment of which the result was still uncertain. He was like a chemist laying out the elements of a grand experiment whose outcome was unknown. _The narrator compares Sir John Harington's battle briefings to a scientist explaining an experiment._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/part-i-observers-and-commanders - 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