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Nature’s Nurture


























10/10/07
Section 23


Nature in connection to the characters surroundings plays a vital role in Rebecca West’s The Return of the Soldier and Hervey Allen’s Toward the Flame. Whether it is the rolling hills on the edge of Harroweald, the pond at Baldry Court, or the French village of Chateau Thierry, these places serve as a constant to the characters during a time when their lives seem to be forever changing as a result of the war. In both Toward the Flame and The Return of the Soldier, the characters find solace and comfort through their interactions with their natural environments because unlike their lives, it remains unchanged by the war.
In The Return of the Soldier, nature provokes the emotions of the characters. While Kitty and Jenny long for Chris to return, they refer to nature as a sanctuary safe from war. Jenny feels the need to, “snatch my cousin from the wars and seal him in this green pleasantness his wife and I now looked upon” (West 5). The familiar serene settings of Baldry Court provide an unchanging safe haven from the lines of battle and comfort to Chris’ loved ones. Jenny’s dream cannot become a reality however because Chris suffers a life altering battle scar resulting in the temporary loss of his memory. Although Chris’s memory has been lost due to shell shock, he is still able to recall the natural surroundings of Baldry Court and is frequently found outside the newly unfamiliar home. When Chris’s cousin Frank Baldry writes to Jenny regarding Chris’ current state of health, he discusses the seriousness of his illness but also Chris’ longing to return home. “He said things about the wood and the upper pond that seemed sentimental but not so much out of the way…he felt that he...