Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Good Soldier, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage and Infidelity
The Manipulation of Reality
Class and Traditional Morality
Religion
Summary
Analysis
John suspects Florence got rid of Jimmy as her lover by getting Edward to assault him physically. Regardless, once Jimmy is out of the picture, Florence and Edward’s affair heats up, even though Florence still can’t travel to England because of her fake heart condition. Due to the distance between them, Florence becomes jealous of Edward and constantly instructs him to return to Paris to see her. Florence even suggests that the two of them abandon their respective partners and escape to California. However, Edward has no interest in her plan, and he worries about what will happen when Leonora discovers the details of their affair. Of course, because Edward is terrible at hiding his affairs, Leonora already knows he is seeing Florence. However, John is still in the dark because Leonora wants to shield him from pain and suffering.
Although Florence is clearly in love with Edward, he doesn’t seem to love her back. Like most of his relationships, Florence is replaceable. However, Florence doesn’t know this or doesn’t want to admit it; she still wants to make her way to England and settle down with an Englishman.
Themes
After contemplating Edward and Florence’s affair, John returns to August 4th, 1913. On the evening of the 4th, Nancy and Edward go to a concert together. Florence goes with them at Leonora’s behest; Leonora assumes the worst, but she thinks Edward won’t do anything untoward if Florence is present. Hours later, John is sitting in his hotel lounge with Bagshawe, a new acquaintance who he finds odious. During their conversation, Florence runs through the hotel door with a pale face and her hand on her heart. She sees John with Bagshawe, and the sight of them only upsets her further as she runs up to her room.
Leonora’s request for Florence to go with Edward and Nancy serves two purposes. First, she can make sure Edward does not go too far with Nancy. Second, she can hurt Florence by showing her Edward’s true colors. Evidently, the latter of these two purposes comes to fruition as Florence returns the hotel with her hand on her heart as though it is injured. The irony here is that Florence’s heart is metaphorically wounded after she’s been lying about having a physically weak heart.
Themes
When Bagshawe sees Florence, he recognizes her and tells John about her affair with Jimmy. Bagshawe doesn’t know John is Florence’s wife and thinks he is simply gossiping. However, this information deeply affects John who becomes lost in his thoughts as Bagshawe goes on talking. Hours later, John returns to his room to find Florence dead, clutching an empty vial.
Bagshawe is yet another odd detail in John’s story because he only appears in this scene and then disappears from the narrative altogether. The charitable reading of this section is that the events transpired exactly as John says. However, an uncharitable reading would suggest that John killed his wife, perhaps out of jealousy, perhaps to get his hands on her money, or perhaps a mix of both.
Themes
