Character Analysis (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Character analysis
Introduction to the novel
The Return of the Soldier is a novel by Rebecca West, set during World War I. The story centres on Captain Chris Baldry, a soldier who returns home from the front suffering from amnesia. His memory loss creates a central conflict as he no longer remembers his wife, Kitty, but instead recalls his relationship with Jenny, a woman from his past. The novel explores themes of love, loss, memory, and the psychological impact of war through its examination of these four key characters.
Understanding the historical context of World War I is crucial for analysing this novel. The war's psychological toll on soldiers, particularly what we now recognise as PTSD, forms the backdrop for Chris's amnesia and the family's response to his condition.
Main characters overview
The novel features four principal characters whose interactions drive the narrative:
Captain Chris Baldry serves as the protagonist. He is a soldier who has returned from World War I experiencing significant memory loss, which becomes the catalyst for the story's central tensions.
Kitty Baldry is Chris's wife. Her character navigates the difficult emotional terrain created by her husband's amnesia, as she finds herself effectively replaced in his memory by another woman. She must confront the painful reality that Chris no longer recognises their marriage or shared life together.
Margaret Grey is Chris's cousin. Her role provides an alternative perspective on Chris's condition and the family's situation. She offers a more grounded and perceptive viewpoint that contrasts with Kitty's response to the crisis.
Jenny is Chris's childhood friend who re-enters his life when his memory regresses. She becomes central to understanding Chris's past and plays a crucial role in the unfolding events as she reconnects with him during his altered mental state.
The four-character structure creates a balanced exploration of different perspectives on trauma, memory, and love. Each character represents a different relationship to Chris and a different response to his condition, allowing West to examine the war's impact on the entire social fabric.
Character descriptions and physical presentations
Captain Chris Baldry
Chris is presented as a handsome and aristocratic man, embodying the qualities expected of his social class and military rank. Before his memory loss, he is portrayed as both a loving husband and a respected soldier. These dual aspects of his identity—the domestic and the military—establish him as a complex character whose pre-war self contrasts sharply with his post-traumatic condition. His aristocratic bearing and distinguished background mark him as a man of status whose fall into psychological trauma becomes all the more poignant.
Kitty Baldry
Kitty is depicted as beautiful, fashionable, and somewhat self-centred. Her character embodies the concerns and values of her social class, with a strong focus on appearances and societal expectations. She struggles significantly with her husband's condition, and her inability to cope with the emotional impact reveals both her vulnerabilities and her priorities. The novel presents her as someone whose life has revolved around maintaining a certain image and lifestyle, making Chris's amnesia particularly devastating as it threatens her social position and sense of identity.
Margaret Grey
Margaret is portrayed as a sensible and compassionate woman. Unlike Kitty, she demonstrates a more grounded and perceptive approach to Chris's situation. Her character possesses intelligence and emotional depth, allowing her to understand the complexities of Chris's condition beyond its immediate social implications. She attempts to support Chris whilst also uncovering family secrets, positioning her as both a supportive presence and an investigative force within the narrative. Her compassion extends to all parties involved in the situation.
Jenny
Jenny is presented as a caring and understanding woman who possesses patience and insight. She reconnects with Chris when his memory regresses, offering him emotional support rooted in their shared history. Her character provides crucial insights into Chris's earlier life, helping to illuminate the contrast between his past happiness and his current situation. Jenny's understanding nature makes her a stabilising presence in Chris's confused state.
When analysing character presentations, note how West uses physical and social descriptions to reveal deeper themes. Kitty's beauty and fashion sense aren't merely superficial details—they reflect the novel's critique of upper-class values and the conflict between appearance and authentic emotion.
Character traits analysis
Captain Chris Baldry's defining characteristics
Chris exhibits bravery in his role as a soldier, having served his country at the front. However, his military courage contrasts with his psychological vulnerability upon returning home.
He is fundamentally loving, which manifests in his relationships both past and present. This capacity for deep affection becomes central to the novel's exploration of memory and identity.
Chris experiences profound confusion as a result of his amnesia. He cannot reconcile his present circumstances with his fragmented memories, creating internal conflict and distress.
He appears distraught by his inability to remember significant portions of his life. This emotional turmoil affects his interactions with those around him and drives much of the narrative tension.
Most significantly, Chris is rendered vulnerable by his condition. His memory loss strips away the defences and certainties that previously structured his life, leaving him exposed and dependent on others for understanding his own history.
Kitty Baldry's defining characteristics
Kitty demonstrates vanity in her preoccupation with appearances and social standing. Her character prioritises surface-level concerns, which influences how she responds to Chris's condition.
She exhibits insecurity when faced with Chris's amnesia, particularly as he fails to remember their marriage. Her sense of self appears closely tied to her role as Chris's wife and her position in society.
Kitty shows herself to be protective of her status and lifestyle. She attempts to maintain control over the situation, though her methods often reflect self-interest rather than genuine concern for Chris's wellbeing.
She experiences considerable anxiety about the implications of Chris's condition. Her fear encompasses both the immediate emotional impact and the longer-term social consequences of having a husband who doesn't recognise her.
Kitty's materialistic nature emerges through her focus on wealth, comfort, and social position. These priorities shape her reactions throughout the narrative and reveal the values that govern her worldview.
Kitty's character traits might initially seem unsympathetic, but West presents her as a product of her social environment. Her vanity and materialism reflect the values she was raised to prioritise, making her response to Chris's condition both a personal failing and a critique of upper-class culture.
Margaret Grey's defining characteristics
Margaret displays deep compassion for Chris and demonstrates genuine concern for his recovery and happiness. Her empathy extends to understanding the difficult position of all involved parties.
She possesses intelligence that allows her to analyse the situation with clarity and insight. Margaret understands the psychological and emotional complexities at play beyond their surface manifestations.
Her investigative nature drives her to uncover family secrets and understand the full truth of Chris's past. She seeks comprehensive understanding rather than accepting easy explanations.
Margaret proves supportive throughout the crisis, offering practical and emotional assistance. Her support, unlike Kitty's reactions, focuses on Chris's needs rather than social appearances.
She demonstrates an empathetic approach that allows her to connect with others' emotional experiences. This quality makes her uniquely positioned to help navigate the family's difficulties.
Jenny's defining characteristics
Jenny exhibits profound empathy, understanding Chris's confusion and emotional state without judgment. She accepts him as he is in his altered condition.
She remains consistently supportive of Chris, providing stability and comfort during his disorientation. Her support stems from genuine care rather than obligation.
Jenny shows insight into Chris's character and past, offering valuable perspective on who he was before the war. Her knowledge of his earlier self helps illuminate his current predicament.
She demonstrates remarkable patience with Chris's condition, allowing him time and space to process his confused memories. She doesn't pressure him to remember or conform to others' expectations.
Above all, Jenny is caring, approaching Chris with tenderness and consideration. Her genuine affection for him provides an emotional anchor in the narrative.
When comparing character traits across the novel, notice the contrast between Kitty's self-focused reactions and Jenny's selfless support. This contrast isn't merely about individual personalities—it represents West's exploration of authentic versus performative love, and the difference between relationships built on social convention versus genuine emotional connection.
Character backgrounds and contexts
Captain Chris Baldry's background
Chris originates from an affluent family and possesses a distinguished military background. These elements of privilege and status define his pre-war identity and social position. His experiences at war, however, profoundly impact his character, creating a rupture between his past and present selves. The memory loss becomes a central point of conflict, separating him from the life he built during the years he can no longer recall. His amnesia specifically erases his marriage to Kitty and the associated period, returning his consciousness to an earlier time when Jenny featured prominently in his life.
Kitty Baldry's background
Kitty comes from a similar social background to Chris, belonging to the same affluent circles. Her life has been structured around societal expectations and maintaining appropriate appearances for someone of her class. Her relationship with Chris provided her with a specific social role and identity as his wife, which becomes threatened by his inability to remember their marriage. The emotional turmoil she experiences stems partly from this loss of position and the uncertainty it creates about her future status.
Margaret Grey's background
Margaret belongs to the same social circle as Chris and Kitty, sharing their class background and connections. However, her character demonstrates a more grounded and perceptive approach to life than Kitty displays. Her deep understanding of Chris's past positions her as a valuable source of insight into his character and history. This knowledge adds depth to the storyline and allows her to contribute meaningfully to understanding the family dynamics at play.
Jenny's background
Jenny represents a connection to Chris's past, embodying a time before his marriage and military service. She offers crucial insights into his earlier life, providing a window into who he was before the transformations wrought by war and marriage. Her presence creates a contrast between different periods of Chris's life and highlights the dynamics between the various characters. Through Jenny, the narrative explores themes of nostalgia, lost innocence, and the persistence of earlier attachments.
The social backgrounds of these characters are significant for understanding the novel's class critique. All four belong to the upper classes, yet their different responses to crisis reveal varying degrees of authenticity and moral integrity. West suggests that social position doesn't guarantee emotional sophistication or genuine compassion.
Character development and arcs
Captain Chris Baldry's character arc
Chris undergoes a significant character arc as he grapples with his memory loss. His journey centres on the struggle to understand himself and his relationships in his altered psychological state. The transformation in his self-understanding forms the heart of the narrative, as he must reconcile fragmented memories with present reality. His arc explores questions of identity, authenticity, and the impact of trauma on the self. Through his development, the novel examines whether the person he was before the war can be recovered or whether his experiences have irrevocably changed him.
Kitty Baldry's character arc
Kitty's character arc revolves around her initial shock and confusion at Chris's condition, which forces her to confront deeper questions about her priorities and emotions. As the narrative progresses, she undergoes a journey that leads to deeper exploration of what truly matters to her—whether it is Chris himself or the life and status their marriage provided. Her development challenges her to look beyond surface concerns and face uncomfortable truths about her relationship and her own character.
Margaret Grey's character arc
Margaret's development involves uncovering family secrets and navigating the complexities of love and loyalty, particularly concerning Chris. Her arc centres on balancing support for all parties whilst pursuing truth and understanding. She must negotiate between competing interests and emotional claims, using her intelligence and compassion to find a path forward. Her journey adds moral complexity to the narrative as she grapples with difficult decisions about what serves Chris's best interests.
Jenny's character arc
Jenny's character arc focuses on reconnecting with Chris and providing crucial revelations about their shared past. Her journey contributes to the unfolding narrative by illuminating aspects of Chris's earlier life and offering an alternative perspective on his identity. Through her reconnection with Chris, she must navigate the complicated emotions of revisiting old feelings whilst recognising the changed circumstances. Her arc explores themes of nostalgia, enduring affection, and the possibility of recapturing past happiness.
Character development in this novel is crucial for understanding West's broader themes. Pay particular attention to how characters change—or fail to change—in response to crisis. Kitty's potential growth versus her resistance to change, Margaret's evolving understanding, and Jenny's navigation of past and present all illuminate different responses to trauma and its aftermath.
Relationships between characters
Captain Chris Baldry and Kitty Baldry
The relationship between Chris and Kitty becomes strained by his memory loss, creating the novel's central tension. Chris's inability to remember Kitty or their marriage effectively erases her from his consciousness, leading to a poignant exploration of love, loss, and emotional resilience. The narrative examines whether their relationship can survive this fundamental rupture and what the foundation of their marriage actually was. Kitty must confront the painful reality that the man who returns from war is not the husband she knew, raising questions about identity and the nature of marital bonds.
The Chris-Kitty relationship raises a crucial question: if your spouse doesn't remember you, are you still married in any meaningful sense? West uses this premise to explore whether their marriage was built on genuine connection or merely social convention and mutual benefit.
Captain Chris Baldry and Margaret Grey
Chris and Margaret share a deep familial bond that becomes crucial in his journey of self-discovery and healing. Margaret's support proves instrumental as he attempts to navigate his confused mental state. Unlike Kitty's fraught relationship with the situation, Margaret offers a more stable and perceptive presence. Her understanding of Chris's character and her willingness to prioritise his wellbeing over social conventions make her a vital ally. Their relationship demonstrates the importance of empathetic support during psychological crisis.
Captain Chris Baldry and Jenny
Jenny's reconnection with Chris unveils their shared history, adding layers of nostalgia and understanding to their relationship. When Chris's memory regresses, he remembers Jenny and the feelings associated with their earlier connection, but not his subsequent marriage to Kitty. This creates a complex dynamic where Jenny represents authenticity and genuine emotion from Chris's past. Their relationship raises questions about which version of Chris is more "real"—the man who loved Jenny or the man who married Kitty. The narrative explores whether past loves can be recaptured and what this means for all parties involved.
When analysing the Chris-Jenny relationship, avoid the trap of viewing it as simply romantic or nostalgic. West presents their connection as representing something deeper: a version of Chris's identity that existed before social expectations and war trauma reshaped him. The relationship asks whether we can return to earlier, perhaps more authentic versions of ourselves.
Exam focus: analysing character relationships
Analytical Approaches for Character Relationships
When examining character relationships in The Return of the Soldier, consider how West uses them to explore broader themes:
- The contrast between Kitty and Jenny reveals tensions between social expectation and genuine emotion
- Margaret's role as mediator highlights the complexity of familial loyalty and moral decision-making
- Chris's amnesia serves as a device to question the construction of identity and the authenticity of social roles
- The relationships illuminate how war trauma affects not just soldiers but entire family systems
Consider also examining:
- How power dynamics shift when Chris loses his memory
- The role of class in shaping each character's response to crisis
- How the novel questions traditional gender roles through these relationships
- The symbolic significance of Chris remembering Jenny but not Kitty
Key Points to Remember:
- Captain Chris Baldry is the protagonist whose amnesia drives the plot, creating conflict between his past and present identities
- Each female character represents a different aspect of Chris's life: Kitty embodies his present social reality, Jenny his past emotional truth, and Margaret provides moral perspective
- Character traits reflect broader themes—Kitty's vanity and anxiety explore societal pressures, whilst Jenny's empathy and patience represent emotional authenticity
- The relationships between characters illuminate central themes of memory, identity, love, and the psychological impact of World War I
- Character development throughout the novel questions whether personal identity can be recovered after trauma or whether war irrevocably transforms individuals
- When writing about these characters, always connect their individual traits and relationships to the novel's broader exploration of war's psychological impact and the conflict between social convention and authentic emotion