Progress Past Pilgrims

The first day back at work in nearly a fortnight was welcome yet it left me rather knackered as the day faded into retreat. The last last hour before kip was devoted to reading and I enjoyed such. The rigidity of the class syteme and a cynics understanding of marriage and divorce (two familar theses of Wuagh's) are brought to the forefront even as the war drifts into some vague rallying point. Crouchback appears unconcerned about his relatibve advanced age amongst his compatriots, indeed the civility of being called Uncle provides him keel until his knee gives out.

This past weekend I heard a documentary on NPR about a military engineering unit from the Arkansas national guard. Most of its members were in their 40s and were also overmatched physically in their preliminary training.

Those setbacks aside, Guy appears to enjoy the group dynamics even as he is later to be shocked to consider that its lack of disciplince in deference of observing a gentleman's code is contrary to military precision. This concern is short-lived as, feeling emancipated by encountering his ex-wife after 8 years, he becomes preoccupied with genealogy and the Chruch Fathers' stance on divorce. The epiphany of recognizing his wife as a transitory object -- one who obviously devoted little if any thought to himself for the better part of a decade --this removes any culpability and instead encourgaes something unquestionably philiosophical. The fact that he is afforded such just as he is to possibly march to his death doesn't appear disconcerting to Crouchback.