# XIV explained — William—An Englishman > Chapter companion for William—An Englishman by Cicely Hamilton. ## What happens William Tully, grieving Griselda's death and traveling with Edith Haynes, reads a patriotic article that fails to capture the horrors he witnessed. This spurs a conversion: he resolves to enlist, seeing soldiering as a way to avenge Griselda. In Paris, he buys mourning clothes, curses the Germans, and shares his enlistment plan with Edith. ## Themes in this chapter ### War and Illusion William's conversion to militarism is driven by a desire for righteous vengeance, contrasting the inadequacy of patriotic rhetoric with the brutal reality he experienced. ### Personal Transformation William undergoes a radical conversion from pacifist to would-be soldier, finding purpose in enlistment after his loss. ### Grief and Isolation William's grief for Griselda is acute in Paris, where normal life contrasts with his loss; he curses the Germans in a fit of rage. ## Character check-ins ### William Tully Grieving Griselda, he undergoes a conversion from pacifism to a desire for vengeance and enlistment; buys mourning clothes and shares his plan with Edith. ### Edith Haynes Guides William in Paris, arranges their journey, loans him money, and is surprised by his decision to enlist. ### Griselda Tully Her death is the catalyst for William's rage and desire to avenge her; he remembers their honeymoon and her absence in Paris. ### Heinz Mentioned as a point of comparison when William studies the British soldiers. ### Madame Peys Provides lodging in Paris and lends William a suit from her absent son. ## Key lines > The paper dropped from his hands to the table and he sat staring at a picture of his own making—of a crowd bitter and determined, moved by the tale of wrongdoing to a righteous and terrible wrath. William puts down the newspaper and imagines an angry mob, inspired by stories of atrocities, seeking justice. _Shows William's first visualization of himself as a soldier driven by vengeance._ > Conversion, in the sense in which the word is employed by the religious, describes most clearly the process through which he had passed: conviction of ignorance, the burden of Christian; a sense of blind longing and humiliated confusion—and now, at the end, light flashed on him suddenly, salvation figured by the sword. William's change of heart is like a religious conversion: he moves from confusion and despair to a new faith in armed resistance. _Highlights the theme of personal transformation and the quasi-religious fervor of his new militarism._ > He was still for the most part sunk in his own thoughts, but not helplessly and endlessly so; he was capable of being roused and at intervals he roused himself. William remains deeply absorbed in his grief, but he is no longer completely passive and can occasionally engage with the world. _Edith notices a change in William's demeanor as he begins to recover agency._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters/xiv - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/william_an_englishman_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/william_an_englishman_se/chapters