Three Soldiers: Analysis of Major Characters
"Three Soldiers" is a novel that explores the complex experiences of three main characters during World War I, each embodying different responses to the war. John Andrews, known as Andy, is a Harvard-trained musician grappling with the dehumanizing aspects of military life. Intelligent and sensitive, he rebels against the Army's attempts to mold him into a mere cog in the war machine. Chrisfield, a passionate soldier from Indiana, exhibits a tumultuous nature, quickly swinging from love to violence. His actions, including the cold-blooded killing of a German officer and an American lieutenant, highlight the moral dilemmas faced by soldiers. Lastly, Dan Fuselli, an insecure private from San Francisco, is characterized by his ambition to rise in rank, ultimately becoming a corporal but facing personal loss in the process. The narrative also introduces Geneviève Rod, a Frenchwoman who appreciates Andy's artistic talents but is perplexed by his anti-war sentiments. Together, these characters illustrate the varied and often conflicting emotions that accompany the harrowing realities of war, providing a nuanced perspective on the human condition in times of conflict.
Three Soldiers: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: John Dos Passos
First published: 1921
Genre: Novel
Locale: France
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1917–1919
John Andrews, called Andy, a Harvard-trained musician who finds himself in the enlisted ranks during World War I. He is intelligent and sensitive, and he hates the Army for trying to make a machine of him. Returning to his regiment from the hospital after he has suffered a wound in his leg from a bursting shell, he is full of rebellion. He is convinced that humanity should not tolerate war. He goes absent without leave but is caught and sentenced to hard labor. He escapes and hides out at an inn near Paris. There, working on a musical composition, he is again arrested by the military police.
Chrisfield, a violent soldier from Indiana. Chrisfield hates and loves quickly and passionately. He kills a German officer in cold blood and slays a hated American lieutenant named Anderson as the officer, wounded, waits for help in a clearing in a forest. When Chrisfield comes to suspect that the authorities know that he killed Anderson, he goes absent without leave and spends his days as a refugee in France.
Dan Fuselli, a whining, sniveling, and groveling American private from San Francisco whose only ambition is to become a corporal. He spends much of his time in France paying court to noncommissioned officers who might get him promoted. His French girlfriend, Yvonne, is stolen from him by a sergeant. He becomes a corporal after the Armistice but learns, at about the same time, that his girl back home has married a naval officer.
Geneviève Rod, a young Frenchwoman who admires Andrews' musicianship and his good taste but cannot understand the motive behind his rebellion.