War and Brideshead Revisited

The main story of Brideshead Revisited takes place between World War I and World War II. Throughout the book, it is clear that both wars are present in the lives of the characters even though they are not actively going on. This can be attributed to the experiences of the author, Evelyn Waugh. He joined the army at the age of 36 after being a well acclaimed author with many books already written. With a life like his it seemed strange to join the army, but “he wanted to do his bit” (Burdett). Waugh wrote Brideshead while recovering from an injury that he sustained in the army while parachuting. He incorporated many of his views about war and his life into the novel. The lasting effects of World War I on the characters, the impending doom of World War II, and the participation in World War II have a significant impact on the novel and the characters in it.

Although World War I had been over for years, its immense impact and looming terror are still present in the lives of the characters. We first hear of the mention of World War I while Charles is at Oxford and talking to his servant, Lunt. Lunt remarks that “ it's all on account of the war. It couldn't have happened but for that” (Waugh 22). He is specifically referring to a major change at Oxford after the war in which there are girls coming to the school and partying. Waugh tells us that “this was 1923 and for Lunt, as for thousands of others, things could never be the same as they had been in 1914” (22). The war caused a significant change in the lives of people living before and after it. As well as a cultural impact, the war was violent and destructive. It claimed many lives, even those of people who were not men fighting in the war. Charles’s mother’s life was claimed by the war. In talking with Sebastian, Charles says that, “My mother was killed in the war… She went to Serbia with the Red Cross” (Waugh 42). Sebastian’s response to this is one of surprise and shock. It seems that the war has not had a true influence on him, like it has not found its destructive way into his pure heart. This, however, is not true because we learn that his uncles had died in the war. Although he never mentions it, his mother is “engaged in making a memorial book for circulation among her friends, about her brother, Ned, the eldest of three legendary heroes all killed between Mons and Passchendaele” (Waugh 122). Sebastian never brought this up with Charles even after he had told him about his own mother’s death; he showed no sympathy or genuine reaction.

In the concluding chapters, the Second World War is beginning to fully take shape and it is beginning to personally impact the characters. Charles is the first to meet the war personally. In the last chapter, he is “summoned to the War Office, interviewed and put on a list in case

of emergency” (Waugh 382). These emergency lists were only for skilled and special workers who should only be called if absolutely needed (“Reserved Occupations”). His experience in the war office had a major impact on Charles. The thought of “emergency” for Charles was troublesome. He thought of it as being vague and irritating not knowing the degree to which he would have been called. In addition, Charles felt that the dynamic of the war office was full of tension. He says, “No one in that dark office spoke the word ‘war’; it was taboo” (Waugh 382). This quote gives us a good glimpse into what Charles was feeling during his short time there. He uses the word ‘dark’ to describe the office, which can be interpreted as both talking about the color of the room or poor lighting, but also the depressing aura. Everyone in the office knew of the war being close and that they could be called under any “emergency” circumstance; however, Charles says that nobody actually mentioned war because of it being taboo. This means that although everyone knew of that being the matter at hand, no one would talk about it because of the gravity it held. Furthermore, Charles mentions that “Cordelia also, on another list” (Waugh 382). This is odd because women were not drafted for the war. The list that Cordelia was on could be referring to the jobs that had to be filled while the men were at war (“Reserved Occupations”). Charles is later drafted into the army, which is revealed through the book’s frame story.

The novel is constructed within a frame story in which Charles is an active military captain during World War II. This frame story appears only in the prologue and epilogue, but are vital to the book. In the beginning of his service, Charles is very unhappy in the army, although he has a high ranking. He reflects upon the army as having “no single happy memory for me. Here love died between me and the Army” (Waugh