V explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Love and Obligation

  Lowe's infatuation with Margaret clashes with her sense of duty to the dying Mahon, leading her to gently redirect Lowe's affections.

• Disillusionment with War

  Lowe's envy of Mahon's scar and wings reflects a romanticized view of war wounds, contrasted with the grim reality of Mahon's condition.

Characters to notice

• Julian Lowe

  Wakes with a hangover, tormented by his love for Margaret and jealousy of Mahon's scar and wings; agrees to return home after Margaret's persuasion.

• Margaret Powers

  Gently manages Lowe's advances, persuades him to go home, and kisses him coolly; she is focused on taking Mahon home.

• Joe Gilligan

  Tends to Lowe's hangover with whisky, teases him about his 'conquest,' and announces they are also going home.

• Donald Mahon

  Still asleep at the start of the chapter, then wakes and greets Lowe; his scar and wings are a source of Lowe's envy.

Key passages

• ““Oh, for Christ’s sake,” he said, hurt, “what do you women want, anyway? I am as good a flyer as any ever was at the front⁠—flying or any other way.””

  Lowe, hurt, exclaims that he is as skilled a pilot as any who served at the front.

  Lowe's defensive reaction to Margaret's implied pity, revealing his insecurity about not having seen combat.

• ““I would have been killed there if I could, or wounded like him, don’t you know it?””

  Lowe tells Margaret he would have preferred to be killed or wounded like Mahon.

  Lowe's romanticized view of war wounds, envying Mahon's scar as a symbol of valor.

• ““But, dear heart, what good will that do? We are going to take him home, and he is sick. Don’t you see, darling, we can’t do anything until we get him settled, and that you would only be in the way?””

  Margaret explains to Lowe that they must first care for Mahon, and Lowe would be a hindrance.

  Margaret prioritizes her duty to Mahon over Lowe's romantic pursuit, using practicality to deflect him.