Gossip from the Forest: Analysis of Major Characters
"Gossip from the Forest: Analysis of Major Characters" offers an insightful exploration of key figures involved in the signing of the armistice in November 1918. The central character, Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch, is portrayed as a formidable and authoritative leader, known for his strong will and military expertise, which he employs to impose harsh terms on the German delegation. In contrast, Matthias Erzberger, the head of the German delegation, embodies vulnerability and urgency, driven by a deep desire to secure mercy for his war-torn nation while grappling with personal fears and inadequacies.
Other notable characters include General Maxime Weygand, who supports Foch's position with meticulous devotion, and Count Alfred Maiberling, whose tragic background and emotional turmoil hinder his effectiveness in negotiations. General Detlev von Winterfeldt brings an aristocratic presence to the commission, yet his misplaced confidence in his French-speaking skills proves to be a liability. Captain Vanselow represents the naive and beleaguered naval perspective, struggling to assert himself in a high-stakes environment. Finally, First Sea Lord Rosslyn Wemyss epitomizes the British resolve to dismantle the German navy, feeling overshadowed by Foch's commanding presence. Together, these characters reflect the complex dynamics of power, vulnerability, and the far-reaching implications of war during a pivotal historical moment.
Gossip from the Forest: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Thomas Keneally
First published: 1975
Genre: Novel
Locale: Berlin, Germany, and Compiègne, France
Plot: Historical
Time: November, 1918
Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch (fohsh), commander of the Allied armies and head of the Allied armistice delegation in November, 1918. A small yet physically imposing man of sixty-seven, with disproportionately large head and hands, he is “monumental.” The son of a provincial civil servant, educated by Jesuits, he rose quickly through the military, achieving the rank of captain at the age of twenty-six and that of major ten years later. A professor and then director of the École Supérieure de Guerre, he is well known as a military theorist; his teachings and writing stress morale as the greatest strategic and tactical determinant in warfare. Marshal Foch is extremely strong-willed, convinced of his own correctness in every question; he believes that he is the most powerful man in the world. His determination and the sheer power of his will force the Germans to swallow whole the humiliating terms of the armistice.
Plenipotentiary Matthias Erzberger, the head of the German armistice delegation. A liberal politician and idealist with reformist instincts, he leads the left wing of the Catholic Center Party and serves as a cabinet member. Forty-three years old, a happily married family man of country stock, he is big-boned, with delicate eyes behind his pince-nez. He feels inadequate to the task of leading the armistice delegation, believing that there is nothing in his background to qualify him for the endeavor. He is also plagued by visions of his own death, seeing would-be assassins at every turn. Fearing that Germany is on the brink of revolution, he knows that peace is imperative if his country is to survive. His only hope as leader of the German delegation is to wring a small measure of mercy for his famine-threatened country from Marshal Foch, who is not swayed by Erzberger's facts and figures on starving and dying children. Given no alternative, he is forced to sign an armistice agreement that is devastating to Germany.
General Maxime Weygand (mak-seem VEE-gahnd), Marshal Foch's chief of staff, often referred to as “Foch's encyclopedia.” He is fifty-one years old, a small, meticulous man devoted to Foch. A career army officer and a lover of horses, his background is uncertain; it is often rumored that he is the illegitimate son of the empress of Mexico. His purpose on the delegation is merely to reinforce Marshal Foch's position at every opportunity.
Count Alfred Maiberling, a member of the German delegation, an aristocrat from a tragic family background and a friend of Erzberger. Once a pleasant diplomat and good companion, he now suffers from severe mood swings, drinks heavily, carries a gun in the lining of his coat, and plays at suicide. He is an ironic and sarcastic observer of events, contributing little of substance to the negotiations.
General Detlev von Winterfeldt, a general of the Royal Prussian Army, representing the German army on the armistice commission. An old, aristocratic gentleman, he is tall, with a thin mustache. Once a military attaché in Paris, he is a Francophile who is vain about his command of French. His beloved French wife is institutionalized for attacking him with a knife. Von Winterfeldt mistakenly believes that his familiarity with the French will give him an advantage in the negotiations.
Captain Vanselow, a captain of the German High Seas Fleet and a recipient of the Iron Cross, although he has never seen battle. He carries his chin tight against his chest. An uncomplicated man with no sense of irony, he is a liberal officer who has never hit a sailor and, in fact, abhors pain and death. He is naïve, shy, and socially inept. The rest of the delegation considers him a “nobody,” a mere token representative from the German navy. His hopeless task is to keep the German navy from being completely dismantled.
First Sea Lord Rosslyn Wemyss, Britain's representative to the armistice commission. A square and beefy admiral with an aristocratic presence, descended from a line of naval admirals, he has a rather genial face and wears a monocle. It is his mission to see that the German navy is totally disarmed and disabled by the armistice agreement. He loathes Marshal Foch yet feels inadequate in his overpowering presence.