Chapter 20
Summary
Nettle, Mace, and Turner finally reach the beach. A lieutenant confronts Nettle because his shoes are untied. Turner doesn’t remember that he has lost his gun and tries to find it, wanting to shoot the lieutenant.
Then, they cross the sand dunes and see the beach for the first time. At first, Turner thinks that all is orderly: everyone is accounted for, the men are standing in lines on the beach, and the boats are loading people on to them. After a second glance though, he realizes that he was just imagining things. There was no order at all. Some people were standing in the ocean, waiting for the boats that weren’t coming, some were playing games, some were digging holes to hide in, and others were breaking into bars to get a drink.
Nettle, Mace, and Turner decide they want to get a drink, and so they walk over to a bar. Once inside, they realize all the alcohol is already gone. A group of men are clustered around a small RAF soldier and are blaming him for the boats not being there and the planes not protecting them. The crowd turns sour and starts to smack and hit him. Mace picks him up and runs him out of harms way while Turner and Nettle hold back the crowd. Unfortunately, Turner and Nettle cannot find Mace again.
Turner and Mace continue to look for something to drink. They stop at a house where a “gypsy” offers to help them if they can catch her pig that ran away. They find and catch the pig and the gypsy gives them some water, soap to wash their faces, bread, sausage, and some cinnamon almonds. Eventually they find a cellar where they can sleep for the night and safely eat their food. Turner notices that his shirt is soaked with some sort of fluid that may or may not be blood but his injury does not hurt any more.
After falling into an unconscious state, he goes through two specific dream-like memories, the first being the day that he was sent to jail, and the second being a backwards re-run of everything he had gone through in part 2. Nettle then wakes him up, telling him that he had been shouting ‘no’ over and over again. Turner can’t fall asleep again and instead reflect on the day he went to jail more in detail, especially the last time he and Cecelia saw each other before he was taken away. His last words were: ‘”I won’t say a word, wake me before seven. I promise, you won’t hear another word from me,”’ (pg 250.)
Analysis
This is a crucial chapter in the book, being the last time we see Turner alive. There are several important parts in this chapter, the main part being slight intonations that Turner is in fact dying and he won’t make it off of the beach.
We see this twice on page 232, when Turner says that his mind was behaving strangely, and when Turner reaches for his gun intending to shoot an officer giving Nettle orders, not remembering that he had lost his gun in the beginning of part 2. Then, when they finally see the beach, he at first thinks that everything is as it should be, with the soldiers waiting in line and getting on the boats, when in fact there are no boats and the soldiers are just doing whatever they feel like – playing football, drinking, digging holes, etc. We know Turner is in trouble because he subconsciously wants someone to help him. “With a childish feeling of abandonment, Turner watched them (two naval officers who probably were the very last people who could have saved him) until they were out of sight,” (pg 235.)
Then, after Turner and Nettle lost Mace, Turner suddenly realizes that they are at a woman’s door asking for something to drink. He thinks that the woman is a magical gypsy and that he and Nettle would be cursed if they did not catch her pig for her. Nettle even suspects something is wrong with Turner, saying “There’s something not right with you, guv’nor,” (pg 240.) They do so and she brings out some food and drink. It is apparent Turner isn’t thinking clearly. The woman also brings out some supplies for them to wash their faces, and Turner turns the water he was washing his face with a rust color because of all the dirt and blood he washed off.
Turner and Nettle lay down in the bombed cellar where Turner will die. Turner realizes his shirt is soaked, stating that “It may have been blood, or some other fluid,” (pg 245.) Turner drifts off to sleep, but is woken by Nettle who tells him that he has been screaming out “no” repeatedly. Nettle says “Christ, you look … terrible,” (pg 248.) He then wipes Turner’s forehead and tries to comfort him. Time seems to be slipping by, because Nettle says that he was outside about an hour ago and he heard that the boats are going to come the next day. Finally, Turner drifts off into a partially unconscious state again, and part 2 ends.
An important metaphor in chapter 20 is when Turner refers to all the horrible mental burdens he is forced to carry as “strange, heavy bags,” (page 247.) He is especially upset by the death of the Flemish lady and her son who were killed in the Stuka attack. He thinks that he was able to carry the two twins to safety, so he should easily have been able to carry the woman and child to safety as well. He refers to them and to the boy who they found dismembered in the tree in the beginning of part 2 as “unfinished business,” (page 247.)
- Great summary. The only thing I would recommend is lingering a little more on the progression of Robbie's last thoughts (as in, what happens to him mentally over the last few pages). In terms of analysis, you do a nice job showing that mental progression, though again, it could be a little more detailed. Of particular note is his distancing himself from Cecilia and returning to her, which he does a few pages from the end there, when he talks about one person waiting for another. The irony of the situation -- his desire to be reunited with Cecilia (expressed through his decision to hide his wound) is the very thing that prevents the fulfillment of that desire -- should also be mentioned, at least because it's just so sad.
Nettle, Mace, and Turner finally reach the beach. A lieutenant confronts Nettle because his shoes are untied. Turner doesn’t remember that he has lost his gun and tries to find it, wanting to shoot the lieutenant.
Then, they cross the sand dunes and see the beach for the first time. At first, Turner thinks that all is orderly: everyone is accounted for, the men are standing in lines on the beach, and the boats are loading people on to them. After a second glance though, he realizes that he was just imagining things. There was no order at all. Some people were standing in the ocean, waiting for the boats that weren’t coming, some were playing games, some were digging holes to hide in, and others were breaking into bars to get a drink.
Nettle, Mace, and Turner decide they want to get a drink, and so they walk over to a bar. Once inside, they realize all the alcohol is already gone. A group of men are clustered around a small RAF soldier and are blaming him for the boats not being there and the planes not protecting them. The crowd turns sour and starts to smack and hit him. Mace picks him up and runs him out of harms way while Turner and Nettle hold back the crowd. Unfortunately, Turner and Nettle cannot find Mace again.
Turner and Mace continue to look for something to drink. They stop at a house where a “gypsy” offers to help them if they can catch her pig that ran away. They find and catch the pig and the gypsy gives them some water, soap to wash their faces, bread, sausage, and some cinnamon almonds. Eventually they find a cellar where they can sleep for the night and safely eat their food. Turner notices that his shirt is soaked with some sort of fluid that may or may not be blood but his injury does not hurt any more.
After falling into an unconscious state, he goes through two specific dream-like memories, the first being the day that he was sent to jail, and the second being a backwards re-run of everything he had gone through in part 2. Nettle then wakes him up, telling him that he had been shouting ‘no’ over and over again. Turner can’t fall asleep again and instead reflect on the day he went to jail more in detail, especially the last time he and Cecelia saw each other before he was taken away. His last words were: ‘”I won’t say a word, wake me before seven. I promise, you won’t hear another word from me,”’ (pg 250.)
Analysis
This is a crucial chapter in the book, being the last time we see Turner alive. There are several important parts in this chapter, the main part being slight intonations that Turner is in fact dying and he won’t make it off of the beach.
We see this twice on page 232, when Turner says that his mind was behaving strangely, and when Turner reaches for his gun intending to shoot an officer giving Nettle orders, not remembering that he had lost his gun in the beginning of part 2. Then, when they finally see the beach, he at first thinks that everything is as it should be, with the soldiers waiting in line and getting on the boats, when in fact there are no boats and the soldiers are just doing whatever they feel like – playing football, drinking, digging holes, etc. We know Turner is in trouble because he subconsciously wants someone to help him. “With a childish feeling of abandonment, Turner watched them (two naval officers who probably were the very last people who could have saved him) until they were out of sight,” (pg 235.)
Then, after Turner and Nettle lost Mace, Turner suddenly realizes that they are at a woman’s door asking for something to drink. He thinks that the woman is a magical gypsy and that he and Nettle would be cursed if they did not catch her pig for her. Nettle even suspects something is wrong with Turner, saying “There’s something not right with you, guv’nor,” (pg 240.) They do so and she brings out some food and drink. It is apparent Turner isn’t thinking clearly. The woman also brings out some supplies for them to wash their faces, and Turner turns the water he was washing his face with a rust color because of all the dirt and blood he washed off.
Turner and Nettle lay down in the bombed cellar where Turner will die. Turner realizes his shirt is soaked, stating that “It may have been blood, or some other fluid,” (pg 245.) Turner drifts off to sleep, but is woken by Nettle who tells him that he has been screaming out “no” repeatedly. Nettle says “Christ, you look … terrible,” (pg 248.) He then wipes Turner’s forehead and tries to comfort him. Time seems to be slipping by, because Nettle says that he was outside about an hour ago and he heard that the boats are going to come the next day. Finally, Turner drifts off into a partially unconscious state again, and part 2 ends.
An important metaphor in chapter 20 is when Turner refers to all the horrible mental burdens he is forced to carry as “strange, heavy bags,” (page 247.) He is especially upset by the death of the Flemish lady and her son who were killed in the Stuka attack. He thinks that he was able to carry the two twins to safety, so he should easily have been able to carry the woman and child to safety as well. He refers to them and to the boy who they found dismembered in the tree in the beginning of part 2 as “unfinished business,” (page 247.)
- Great summary. The only thing I would recommend is lingering a little more on the progression of Robbie's last thoughts (as in, what happens to him mentally over the last few pages). In terms of analysis, you do a nice job showing that mental progression, though again, it could be a little more detailed. Of particular note is his distancing himself from Cecilia and returning to her, which he does a few pages from the end there, when he talks about one person waiting for another. The irony of the situation -- his desire to be reunited with Cecilia (expressed through his decision to hide his wound) is the very thing that prevents the fulfillment of that desire -- should also be mentioned, at least because it's just so sad.