Tristram Shandy

Chapter 31. One of the many negative consequences of the Treaty of Utrecht was that it foreclosed many potential sieges for Toby, greatly disappointing him. Walter sarcastically consoles Toby for the loss of his hobby-horse, promising there will be another war soon enough. Tristram admits that while he has previously said that Toby is not eloquent, here Toby’s emotional state overrules his distaste for speeches. One such speech pleases Walter so much he writes it down and Tristram, who has read it a hundred times over, will present it to the reader in full, with Walter’s notes. 

Chapter 32. Toby admits that he is aware of the negative aspects of wishing for war. He explains that he feels comfortable expressing all his passions, good and bad, to Walter, who will understand his motivations. He then asks what ill intention Walter would ascribe Toby’s desire for the war to have been fought slightly longer for, trusting his brother not to think Toby wishes for more death and destruction. Walter writes in that he only begrudges the loan he gave Toby to build more fortifications. Toby continues, asking if he is to blame for the excitement war rouses in him, and pointing out how he always went out of his way to share knowledge and military history books when they were in school together. Toby reminds Walter how much he grieved over the story of Troy, which he claims is proof that he’s aware of war’s bad side, too.

Walter quibbles with Toby’s grasp of ancient history in the margins. Toby, meanwhile, separates soldierly bravery and reflection on the misery of war, arguing that they are separate acts. Then, addressing Yorick, Toby quotes the sermon from Le Fever’s funeral. If a gentle creature like Le Fever was not made by nature for war, Toby argues, he was made so by necessity, as war is necessary to defend liberty and honor from the ambitious and the wicked. The pleasure Toby takes from his bowling green is therefore not frivolous but expressing a vital part of his spirit.

Chapter 33. Tristram begins to remind the reader of something, but he gets caught up reminding them why he must continually go backward and forward in his story. Tristram blames Walter for the fickleness of his mind, and he resolves to start over with the chapter.

Chapter 34. Tristram reminds the reader that he told them that the Treaty of Utrecht nearly ended Toby’s hobby-horse. Toby, however, did not dismount his horse and reject it—rather, he was “flung” from it by circumstances out of his control. There are no sieges from March to November, and the only time Toby spends on the bowling green is spent demolishing the fortifications of Dunkirk, as the treaty stipulates. Toby closely follows the news of this demolition and becomes frustrated waiting as legal battles are waged in France over which parts to demolish. Trim wishes to begin immediately with a breach in the walls, but Toby does not trust the treacherous French. Instead, he cautions Trim to begin from the outside, methodically demolishing the fortifications until they can safely depart for England—where, as Trim points out—they already are.

Chapter 35. Toby’s discussions with Trim over the demolition approximates the pleasure of their sieges, but the same sadness returns once they are done. Toby feels listless without the excitement of imagining battles and must turn to more peaceful pursuits.