Now It Can Be Told · Chapter
XXI explained
The narrator reflects on the exceptional organization and leadership of the Second Army under Sir Herbert Plumer and Sir John Harington, contrasting it with the mismanagement seen elsewhere.
What happens
The narrator reflects on the exceptional organization and leadership of the Second Army under Sir Herbert Plumer and Sir John Harington, contrasting it with the mismanagement seen elsewhere. Harington is portrayed as a scientific, methodical planner who briefs war correspondents candidly before battles. The chapter captures the tension and horror of awaiting battle, the narrator's deep hatred of war, and the tragic sense of endless slaughter.
Themes in this chapter
Futility of War
The narrator questions the endless cycle of ridge-taking and the cost in youth, feeling the war is a senseless massacre.
Psychological Trauma
The narrator describes a 'sickness' in his soul, hatred of war, and the emotional toll of observing the 'grisly game'.
Betrayal by Leadership
Contrasts the efficient Second Army with the 'abominable mismanagement' of other troops, implying a broader failure of leadership.
Comradeship and Human Spirit
Harington acknowledges the high spirit of the troops and the need for unity between fighting units and staff.
Characters to notice
- Sir Herbert Plumer
Army commander of the Second Army, described with a caricature-like appearance but credited with sound judgment and good organization.
- Sir John Harington
Chief of staff of the Second Army, portrayed as the organizing brain, a scientific planner who candidly briefs war correspondents before battles.
- Unknown Narrator
The observer who feels sickness, hatred, and despair at the endless war, praying for an end to the massacre.
- Major Lytton
Mentioned as accompanying the narrator on early battle mornings, with a gallant look along the duckboards.
- Montague
White-haired and seemingly fearless, giving the narrator a little courage.
Key passages
“How long was this to go on—this massacre of youth, this agony of men? Was there no sanity left in the world that could settle the argument by other means than this?”
The narrator despairs at the endless slaughter of young soldiers and questions whether humanity has lost all reason to resolve conflict without war.
Captures the theme of futility and the narrator's emotional breakdown.
“He was a chemist explaining the factors of a great experiment of which the result was still uncertain.”
Harington approached battle planning with scientific detachment, analyzing variables like a chemist in a lab.
Highlights Harington's methodical, scientific approach to war.
“I hated it all with a cold hatred; and I went on hating it for years that seem a lifetime.”
The narrator's hatred of war was deep and enduring, lasting long after the events.
Emphasizes the psychological trauma and lasting disillusionment.