CHAPTER 26

Summary

The rain stopped for a while and Henry invited the priest to his room upstairs. He told Henry that the summer was very bad and everyone was feeling the strain of the war. He expressed the hope that both sides would realize their folly and stop fighting. The Austrians had brief victories. Nevertheless, the war could not go on much longer. It was in defeat that one became a Christian, even the humility of Jesus Christ was because of a feeling of defeat, said Henry. The priest was happy to say his prayers and hope for the best. During war, ordinary and average life was disturbed and that in itself was a defeat. Henry said that such thoughts tired him so he never thought about them. He believed only in sleep, which to him meant nothingness.

Notes

War has a depressing effect on everybody. HenryÂ’s talk with the priest remains inconclusive because he cannot match the latterÂ’s faith; it (and by extension, religion) fails to give him solace in times of distress. Crumbling religious faith and eroding moral values are among the offshoots of war.

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