Her Privates, We: Analysis of Major Characters
**Her Privates, We: Analysis of Major Characters Overview**
"Her Privates, We" is a poignant exploration of the experiences of soldiers during World War I, primarily focusing on the lives of characters in the Westshire regiment on the Somme front. One prominent character, Bourne, is an educated Australian private who maintains a detached yet sympathetic perspective towards his comrades. He consistently rejects promotions, preferring the camaraderie of the ranks, ultimately facing a tragic death during a raid. Another key figure is Shem, a Jewish private who sacrifices a safer position in the Army Pay Office to join his fellow soldiers, exhibiting loyalty and friendship despite the horrors of war. Charlie Martlow, the son of a gamekeeper, forms a strong bond with Bourne and Shem, providing emotional support through their shared struggles, but meets a devastating end. Lastly, Weeper Smart embodies the psychological toll of war, characterized by his suffering demeanor and aversion to violence, yet he shows remarkable bravery in aiding Bourne during a critical moment. Together, these characters depict the complexities of camaraderie, sacrifice, and trauma amidst the brutal realities of trench warfare.
Her Privates, We: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Frederic Manning
First published: 1929, in Great Britain as The Middle Parts of Fortune: Somme and Ancre, 1916 (U.S. edition, 1930)
Genre: Novel
Locale: Somme and Ancre in northern France
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1916
Bourne, a private in the Westshire regiment on the Somme front in World War I. As an outsider, evidently Australian, he maintains a detached perspective toward the British around him. Nevertheless, he is sympathetic and grows angry only at meanness, malice, and the dodging of responsibility. Because of his superior education and ability to influence others, he is repeatedly offered promotion. He rejects these offers, primarily because he feels at home with the men in the ranks. At the end, vindictively ordered to lead a night raid on the German trenches, he is shot in the chest and dies while being carried back.
Shem, a Jewish private in the Westshire regiment. He had a safe job in the Army Pay Office in England, which he gave up to go to the trenches in France. After a battle, he forms a friendship with Bourne and Martlow and, although careful to avoid buying their drinks, he does pick up the bill if the others are broke. Early in the disastrous Somme offensive, he is wounded in the foot but manages to crawl back to the British trenches.
Charlie Martlow, a private in the Westshire regiment. The son of a gamekeeper, he is obstinate but generous. He happened to sit beside Bourne and Shem after a battle, through which chance their friendship was formed; this friendship sustains them through all the hardships and horrors of trench warfare. During the Somme offensive, the back of his head is blown off, and he dies in Bourne's arms.
Weeper Smart, a private in the Westshire regiment. Weeper is a nickname imposed on him because he always bears an expression of suffering, at once pitiful and repulsive; Bourne never calls him by it. His face resembles a vulture's, with a narrow forehead; arched eyebrows; loose, pendulous lips; a receding chin; and a large, fleshy nose jutting from between protruding, watery blue eyes. He has thin sandy hair, sloping shoulders, abnormally long arms, and huge hands. He dreads the thought of killing and is haunted by the memory of it. He volunteers to go on the patrol with Bourne. When Bourne is fatally wounded, Weeper carries him back to the British lines.