Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Boy Jack, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Bravery, Duty, and Honor
Parental Expectations
Patriotism and the British Empire
Loss and Resilience
Summary
Analysis
Hours later, it’s still raining. Bowe, Doyle, and McHugh wait for Jack to come around with their portions of rum. Bowe is oscillating between extreme temperatures, feeling cold one moment and hot the next. He can’t stop shivering. Meanwhile, explosions sound in the distance, making it clear that the battle will soon begin. Hearing these horrifying sounds, Bowe claims to need to return to the dugout for a moment, saying that he needs to warm up. He tries to get past Doyle and McHugh, but they don’t move out of his way. He pleads with them, but McHugh grabs him and vows to kill him before letting him through.
Given that McHugh was the one who seemed so unwilling to make personal sacrifices for a greater good, it’s surprising that Bowe is the one who ultimately ends up trying to shirk his duties as a soldier. In fact, McHugh even forces Bowe to uphold his soldierly responsibilities, threatening to kill him if he tries to run away. The fact that Bowe originally seemed so dedicated to the Army’s success just goes to show that it’s hard to hold onto a sense of honor and duty in the face of actual danger. Thus, the scenes in the trenches provide context for Rudyard’s relatively abstract ideals of honor and duty.
Themes
McHugh hits Bowe in the face. Just then, Jack appears, but it’s unclear if he saw this outburst. He gives the men their rum, then pulls Doyle aside and asks if everything’s all right. Doyle admits that they all might be better off without Bowe, but Jack says he thinks Bowe will shape up.
Jack’s faith in Bowe—despite the man’s obvious desire to abandon his responsibilities—suggests that he has faith in his fellow soldiers. In short, Jack gives his men the chance to prove themselves. In a way, this is a very honorable trait, but it could also be naïve, putting Jack and everyone else in danger, since cowardly soldiers are unlikely to stand by one another in the heat of the moment.
Themes
