THEME. Like “The Strange-Looking Man,” this story is pre-eminently one
of idea. Written before the United States declared war against Germany,
it none the less is of the Allied spirit. At the same time, it hints
that Germany has an ideal. (See page 151: “a vision which it alone had
understood.”) Would the same author probably hold in 1919 his original
concept? Does his dénouement negate the ideal?
How is the “fear or desire” (page 145) bound up with the dénouement?
SETTING. What is the place of the dream? The time _of_ the dream? What
outer occurrences emphasize it? (See, notably, page 152, where the
place of emphasis is given to the “bold boom of the batteries.”) Give
an external and an internal proof of the fact that “Christmas Eve,
1916” is the time _in_ the dream.
How much of the prophecy (pages 147, 148) has been fulfilled?
THE NARRATOR. In what branch of the service is the narrator? Value
of his point of view? Why does he use the dream device? By what
difficulties is the dream method usually attended? How successful has
Mr. Jordan been in avoiding them?
THE ACTION. What is the chief incident of the inner action? How does
it emphasize the theme? What relation has the outer action to that of
the dreamed action? Compare the technical device with that of “Mr.
Eberdeen’s House.” Wherein lies the power of the dénouement? Why does
the narrator say, “I thanked God for the Germans”?