Private Peaceful
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13
Themes
All Themes The Injustice of War Courage Cruelty and Power Grief, Guilt, and Family Religion and Faith
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Thomas “Tommo” Peaceful Charlie Peaceful Tommo’s Mother / Mrs. Peaceful Big Joe Peaceful Molly The Colonel Grandma Wolf Sergeant “Horrible” Hanley Tommo’s Father / Mr. Peaceful Captain Wilkes / “Wilkie” Anna Little Tommo Nipper Martin Jimmy Parsons Pete Bovey Little Les James Lieutenant Buckland Anna’s Father Mr. Munnings Miss McAllister Molly’s Father Farmer Cox
Symbols
All Symbols Birds Church Towers “Oranges and Lemons”
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Private Peaceful

by

Michael Morpurgo
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Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Private Peaceful makes teaching easy.

Anna Character Analysis

Anna is a teenage girl whom Tommo meets in France. Anna’s father owns the estaminet (a small pub) near the soldiers’ camp, and Anna and Tommo take an instant liking to each other when he visits. She smiles at him when she brings his food, and eventually Tommo plucks up the courage to speak to her. Upon his next visit, however, he learns that Anna has been killed by a stray explosion while gathering eggs. Tommo goes to visit her grave and kisses the earth where she is buried. He finds that as a result partly of Anna’s death, he can no longer believe in heaven. Her death seems too arbitrary and too cruel to suggest the existence of any god. Instead, he feels that all that is left of Anna is buried in the “cold earth” beneath his feet.

Anna Quotes in Private Peaceful

The Private Peaceful quotes below are all either spoken by Anna or refer to Anna. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Injustice of War Theme Icon
).
Chapter 11 Quotes

I looked up at the church steeple, a dark arrow pointing at the moon and beyond, and tried with all my heart and mind to believe she was up there somewhere in that vast expanse of infinity, up there in Sunday-school Heaven, in Big Joe’s happy Heaven. I couldn’t bring myself to think it. I knew she was lying in the cold earth at my feet. I knelt down and kissed the earth, then left her there.

Related Characters: Thomas “Tommo” Peaceful (speaker), Big Joe Peaceful , Anna
Related Symbols: Church Towers
The Injustice of War Theme Icon
Grief, Guilt, and Family Theme Icon
Religion and Faith Theme Icon
Page Number: 171-172
Explanation and Analysis:
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Private Peaceful PDF

Anna Quotes in Private Peaceful

The Private Peaceful quotes below are all either spoken by Anna or refer to Anna. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Injustice of War Theme Icon
).
Chapter 11 Quotes

I looked up at the church steeple, a dark arrow pointing at the moon and beyond, and tried with all my heart and mind to believe she was up there somewhere in that vast expanse of infinity, up there in Sunday-school Heaven, in Big Joe’s happy Heaven. I couldn’t bring myself to think it. I knew she was lying in the cold earth at my feet. I knelt down and kissed the earth, then left her there.

Related Characters: Thomas “Tommo” Peaceful (speaker), Big Joe Peaceful , Anna
Related Symbols: Church Towers
The Injustice of War Theme Icon
Grief, Guilt, and Family Theme Icon
Religion and Faith Theme Icon
Page Number: 171-172
Explanation and Analysis:
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