topics: |  drama | classic

The chocolate cream soldier

This was a text at some point in school, and the story still reads well...

Bluntschli, the escaping Serbian soldier, breaks into Raina Petkoff's
bedroom, and into her life, shattering her romantic notions of war and
heroism.  He becomes his "chocolate cream soldier":

   B: You can always tell an old soldier by the insides of his holsters and
   cartridge boxes; the young ones carry ammunition; the older ones carry
   grub.

On an impulse, Raina decides to save Bluntschli's life, and in the end, finds
herself attracted to him.  When her mother is trying to
shake him awake she says: "Don't mamma, the poor darling is worn
out. Let him sleep".

   Raina is engaged to Sergius, a handsome idealistic officer who has managed
a victory despite his rather ineffectual but heroic means.  In the end, it
turns out that Bluntschli is back to settle accounts of war, and carries off
Raina. - AM

This early edition is free of all critical notes.