Three aspects
Idealistic jingoist (fall of man)
Alienated from aristocracy
Homosexually circumspect
Quotes which foreshadow Abercrombie’s downfall :
“So does mustard gas!”
“Beastly rotten war”
“Caused his hand to shake a little and upset a glass”
Quotes that show Abercrombies idealistic manner
““the young captain was a celebrity, a published poem and decorated soldier, a famous wit and bon viveur and a highly valued patron of the club”
Link to Sassoon
‘this war, which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest’
Methods
Juxtaposition to show the disparity between his stances and also mirror the wider disparity between expectation vs reality of war (propaganda)
Wider stance: mirrors how those at home would be divided
Polysyndetic listing to emphasise his greatness
Anthromorphism - revenge for the dehumanisation soldiers faced , critical
Foreshadowing of shell shock
Why?
Through their experiences on the front lines they come to question the patriotic idealism conveyed to them in propaganda, and result in viewing war a senseless slaughter, driven by political motives rather than noble causes.