From Here to Eternity: Analysis of Major Characters
"From Here to Eternity" is a novel that delves into the lives of soldiers and civilians in Hawaii just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, focusing on their complex relationships and struggles. The narrative centers around several major characters, each embodying different facets of military life and personal ambition. Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a proud soldier and skilled bugler, resists pressure to box for his company, reflecting his rebellious spirit and deep sense of loyalty to his ideals. His love interest, Alma Schmidt (also known as Lorene), is a former waitress turned prostitute with aspirations of returning to a middle-class life, showcasing the contrasting aspirations between soldiers and civilians.
Sergeant Milton Anthony Warden, the capable first sergeant, grapples with his feelings for Karen Holmes, the wife of his commanding officer, Captain Dana "Dynamite" Holmes. Warden's internal conflict underscores the tension between personal desires and military obligations. Captain Holmes, self-centered and ambitious, becomes increasingly embroiled in the consequences of his actions as he pressures Prewitt while managing the fallout of his extramarital affairs. Karen Holmes, who endures her husband's infidelities, ultimately faces her own challenges in her relationship with Warden, revealing the emotional complexities and sacrifices of love.
This rich tapestry of characters illustrates the broader themes of duty, love, and the pursuit of personal dreams amidst the backdrop of impending war, inviting readers to explore these dynamics in greater depth.
From Here to Eternity: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: James Jones
First published: 1951
Genre: Novel
Locale: Hawaii
Plot: Naturalism
Time: The months leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941
Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a soldier stationed with the U.S. Army in the Hawaiian islands. He is rebellious and proud, but he loves the Army and is a good soldier. He is also an excellent bugler and boxer. He requests a transfer into Captain Holmes's company (G Company) because the company commander of the Bugle Corps replaced him as first bugler. Holmes and the sergeants of G Company pressure Prewitt, in increasingly forceful ways, to box on the company team. Prewitt, who once blinded a friend while sparring, refuses, despite the fact that boxing would ensure that he has an easy time and offer a promotion to corporal and the job of first bugler for G Company. He later goes absent without leave after killing the sergeant who beat a friend of his to death in the stockade. He is shot while attempting to return to his company after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
Alma Schmidt, who now calls herself Lorene, a prostitute at the New Congress Club who becomes Prewitt's lover. Formerly a waitress in Oregon, she came to Hawaii after her boyfriend married someone else. Prewitt wants to marry her. He even offers to box, so that he can become a sergeant and get posted back to the mainland United States. Lorene refuses. She does not want to marry a soldier. Her goal is to make enough money to be able to go back to Oregon, buy herself and her mother a house, live an ordinary middle-class life, and be “proper.”
Sergeant Milton Anthony Warden, the first sergeant of Prewitt's company. Thirty-four years old, efficient, and coolheaded, he, not Captain Holmes, really runs the company. He is tough but fair with his men, and they respect him. He begins an affair with Karen Holmes and soon falls in love with her. She wants him to become an officer so that he can get a post on the mainland; she could then leave her husband and marry him. He despises officers, but he agrees. When it comes to the point of applying for the commission, however, he cannot bring himself to do it; like Prewitt, he is “married” to soldiering. He and Karen finally separate.
Captain Dana “Dynamite” Holmes, Prewitt's company commander and the company's boxing coach. He has been cheating on his wife for years, and they are estranged. Self-centered and concerned with his status, Holmes links his company's boxing success to his chances to become a major; as a result, he tacitly encourages the men on the boxing team to give Prewitt “the treatment” until he agrees to fight. Finally pushed to the limit, Prewitt enters a fight with a sergeant who taunts him once too often. Holmes sees them fighting and does nothing to stop them, not realizing that the regiment's colonel is watching. Because of this incident, Holmes is forced to resign. He and his wife return to the mainland.
Karen Holmes, Captain Holmes's wife. She is beautiful but cold in her manner, and she has a “reputation.” After becoming her lover, Warden confronts her with the stories he has heard about her past. She lashes back with her own story: Her husband, who began sleeping with other women soon after they were married, gave her gonorrhea, and she had to undergo a hysterectomy. After that, she says, she had an affair of her own. She loves Warden, but when he refuses to apply for an officer's commission, she realizes that they can never marry. She leaves Hawaii with her husband.