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Part 1, Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Good Soldier, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage and Infidelity
The Manipulation of Reality
Class and Traditional Morality
Religion
Summary
Analysis
Before settling into the story proper, John wrestles with the appropriate way to frame it. He settles on imagining himself by a fireplace with “a sympathetic soul” willing to lend an ear. Feeling satisfied with this image, John begins describing Florence in more detail. Florence is a loquacious woman with a great mind; she loves traveling and talking about the history of any given area. However, her conversations are often one-sided because she is not a good listener.
John’s desire for “a sympathetic soul” suggests that he wants a listener who will pity him rather than question him. However, his description of Florence seems fair and honest. He primarily compliments her, and the one negative characteristic he describes is not damning. Although the reader never gets an objective look at Florence to see if John is telling the truth, there is nothing in this initial description that seems particularly biased.
Themes
Although John would prefer to visit the same places repeatedly, Florence only wants to go everywhere once. After a single trip, Florence feels she’s understood the essence of a place and is content to move on. Even though he feels differently, John thinks it is his duty to keep Florence happy so that her heart stays healthy; as such, he always does as Florence says. Additionally, John ensures that he never speaks to Florence about topics that might upset her such as politics.
Here and elsewhere, John paints himself as the perfect husband. He sacrifices his thoughts and feelings for the good of his ill wife.
Themes
Florence’s closest relatives do not like John because they think he is lazy. John admits that he never feels the need to work but doesn’t think it is an indictment on his character because he does not have to. He claims to have all the money that he will ever need. In sharp contrast, Florence’s Uncle John worked all his life in a factory to ensure that his family had money. After being told by his doctor that he had a heart condition, Uncle John retired from his factory and spent the rest of his life traveling around the world.
John never discusses his family in depth, nor does he reveal where his money came from. However, he is clearly wealthy because he never works and has money to travel around the world. As such, there is a sharp contrast between John and Florence’s Uncle John. One is the product of hard work and self-reliance; the other has never worked a day in his life.
Themes
Coincidentally, Uncle John died just five days prior to Florence herself. However, as it turns out, he did not have a heart condition. In the wake of these two deaths, John travels back to the United States to take care of Uncle John’s will, as he is the new owner of the estate. Not long after returning to America, John gets a letter from Edward and Leonora asking him to visit them in England. John complies, and when he arrives in England, he finds that Leonora is happy, even though Edward is deeply upset about something.
One question that will persist throughout the novel is whether the proximity of Uncle John and Florence’s deaths is truly an accident. The huge financial boost John gains as a result of Florence’s death is enough to cause suspicion.
Themes
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