Private Peaceful

Notes on Characters and Themes

Thomas "Tommo" Peaceful

• Tommo is the young narrator and central character in the novel.

• As he narrates, he is an underage English soldier fighting in
Etaples, France, in World War One.
• Throughout his life, he has relied on his older brother, Charlie, for
guidance and protection, and this has not changed while they have
been in the same regiment together.
• He is homesick and longs for the safety of his childhood.
• Throughout his life, Tommo has been bullied, not only by other kids at school
but also by adults, including his army officers.
• Tommo has realized early in his life that he only has himself and Charlie to
rely on.
• He originally enlisted in the army because an elderly woman in the village
called him a coward, but Tommo proves himself to be a good and brave
soldier.
• It appears that he has some kind of shell shock or PTSD (Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder) as he is beginning to relive the scenes of death in the
trenches even when he is not actually there.
• When he is shot in the trench, he feels as if he were dying and is relieved.
• Saving Tommo leads Charlie to disobey an order and ultimately
results in a death sentence for desertion. After he returns home,
Tommo takes Charlie's place as a father to his child and as a
partner to Molly—ironically, the girl he has loved since his
childhood.
Charlie Peaceful

• Charlie is Tommo's older brother and protector.

• As a child, he looked out for his brother; as a soldier, he has done
the same, but unfortunately, he is being to be executed by firing
squad for standing up against a dangerous order.
• Charlie has a strong instinct to protect and preserve life, whether
by hiding Bertha the dog from the Colonel or by saving Captain
Wilkes' life.
• Charlie is tough but sensitive and loyal to his brother, although he is
aware that having a relationship with Molly, whom Tommo loves,
will hurt him, hence the need for secrecy.
• Charlie is a good, courageous young man who deserves much
better than the fate handed down to him; despite being
considered a coward due to his crime of desertion, Charlie is, in
fact, incredibly brave.
Molly

• Molly is the novel's version of ‘the girl next door’

• She and the Peaceful boys have grown up together; she is a bit of
a ‘tomboy’ and does all the things that they do.
• Molly is thrown out of the house by her strict, harsh parents when
she tells them she is pregnant; as a result, she is forced to grow up
even more quickly.
• She eventually marries Charlie and has his child.
• Molly asks Tommo to take care of Charlie when they go to France
because she knows that, despite the fact that Tommo is younger,
he is also more careful and less likely to put himself in danger.
Mrs Peaceful

• Mrs. Peaceful is the mother of the three Peaceful sons and fulfils the duties of
this very demanding job very well.
• With no time to mourn her husband's accidental death due to fear of losing
their cottage, she is forced to take a job that keeps her away from her
children for most of the day.
• She is unaware of Grandma Wolf's cruelty, and when she learns that physical
punishment used on her children, she speaks out on their behalf.
• She takes in Molly after she is rejected by her own parents and becomes a
surrogate mother to her as well.
• Mrs. Peaceful is also shown to be remarkably clever, such as when she hands
the Colonel a bunch of money after Charlie steals his dog, Bertha.
Big Joe

• Big Joe is chronologically the oldest of the Peaceful brothers, but

he has the mind of a child due to the case of meningitis he
suffered as an infant.
• He is very sensitive and easily upset, as shown by his choice to run
away after the trauma of seeing Bertha brutally shot and killed; he
is unable to process emotions, and his only reaction is to run from
them.
• Despite his simplicity, he is also gentle, loyal, and loves animals.
Tommo and Charlie adore him and help their mother care for him.
Grandma Wolf

• Grandma Wolf is the great-aunt of the Peaceful children.

• She is supposed to care for the boys whilst their mother is at work, but her idea of
care involves physical punishment and cruel bullying.
• She seems ready to side with anyone against the boys and seems to relish the idea
of corporal punishment.
• She dislikes all children, especially Tommo and Charlie, though she tolerates Molly.
• It is eventually revealed that she was the Colonel's lover, and after the Colonel's
wife dies, Grandma Wolf unofficially takes over her position at the Colonel's
estate.
• Tommo nicknames her "the Wolfwoman," which hints to her monstrous qualities.
The Colonel

• The Colonel is the local land-owner and the most powerful man in their village.
• He is rather insensitive and harsh: after Tommo's father dies, the Colonel tells
them that they need to leave the cottage because it is tied to their father's job.
• However, he eventually allows them to stay after Mrs. Peaceful does an
excellent job taking care of his dying wife.
• However, after the death of his wife, the Colonel, encouraged by Grandma
Wolf, becomes a crueller and more brutal man.
• He circulates rumours that Charlie is a thief. He brutally murders his dog,
Bertha, despite Charlie's efforts to protect her. He is also abusive to Big Joe.
• He ultimately appears as a cruel character that has the potential to be decent
but chooses not to be.
Sergeant Hanley

• Sergeant Hanley is the first commanding officer whom Charlie and Tommo
meet when they get to France.
• He is a bully who becomes even more blatantly cruel when he realizes that
Tommo is underage and defenceless.
• He is nicknamed "Horrible Hanley" by the men under his command.
• He is responsible for some of the worst punishments that the soldiers
endure, and when Charlie argues with him about his actions, he writes
Charlie up for insubordination rather than realizing that he should not be
bullying a young man in this way.
• Eventually, he orders the men to undertake a suicidal charge, and when
Charlie refuses this order, Hanley has him executed for desertion.
Captain Wilkes

• Wilkes was a choirmaster in his pre-war life and brings a sense of

pastoral care and understanding of how to shape young men to the
army with him during his time as a captain.
• He treats his men well and is both kind and considerate.
• Wilkes is shot in the no man's land and Charlie carries him to
safety, saving his life.
• Wilkes demonstrates his gratitude by leaving Charlie his gold
wristwatch when he is sent back to England to recuperate.