# The Soldiers’ Rest explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Arthur Machen.

## What happens

A wounded soldier awakens in a peaceful, idyllic setting that resembles an English inn, with a view of a Gothic cathedral. He recounts his harrowing experiences in the war, including the murder of a young French boy by a German soldier, his capture and escape from a barn, and his heroic attempt to warn his comrades. He is comforted by a minister and visited by figures in strange, noble attire who praise his bravery and offer him a mystical cup of wine, suggesting he has entered a heavenly or otherworldly realm.

## Themes in this chapter

### Supernatural and the Divine

The soldier's arrival at a heavenly inn, the minister's transformation into an armored angel, and the 'New Wine of the Kingdom' suggest a divine or supernatural reward for sacrifice.

### The Power of Storytelling and Art

The soldier's vivid recounting of his trauma and the minister's recitation of Latin and poetic verse highlight the role of narrative in processing war and honoring the dead.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Remnant

The wounded soldier who narrates his war experiences and is comforted in the inn.

## Key lines

> He felt a sense of delicious ease and repose in bones that had been racked and weary, and deep in the heart that had so lately been tormented there was an assurance of comfort—of the battle won.

The soldier felt a deep, soothing relief in his tired body and a peaceful certainty that his struggle was over.

_Describes the soldier's initial sense of peace after his ordeal._

> The German, he took his bayonet, and he drove it right through the poor little chap’s throat.

A German soldier stabbed the little boy with his bayonet, killing him instantly.

_The pivotal moment of the soldier's trauma, the murder of the child._

> Vin nouveau du Royaume ,” said the minister. “New Wine of the Kingdom, you call it.”

The minister offered the soldier a cup of wine, calling it the 'New Wine of the Kingdom,' implying a heavenly or spiritual drink.

_Symbolic offering of divine comfort and reward._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_6_se/chapters/the-soldiers-rest
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_6_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_6_se/chapters