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Chapter 14
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Long Long Way, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Youth, Naivety, and Growing Up
The Horrors of War
Family, Camaraderie, and Love
Political Conflict and Divided Loyalties
Resilience and Shared Humanity
Summary
Analysis
In September 1916, while his company is stationed far behind the front lines, Willie receives a letter from his sister Maud. In her letter, Maud says their father is angry at Willie because of his last message, in which he asked about Redmond. She asks Willie to write to their father again to rectify the situation. Uneasy, Willie suspects he knows why his last letter upset his “old-fashioned” father, but he doesn’t know how to make things right with him. Willie feels as though home is becoming more and more distant.
By expressing curiosity about an Irish nationalist politician, Willie has created a rift between himself and his unionist father. This rift is exacerbated by how far away home seems to Willie now. His experiences on the Western Front have made Willie feel increasingly disconnected from his family and his life before the war.
Themes
When winter arrives, Willie’s regiment holds a boxing match in the hall where Father Buckley holds Mass. The two opponents are William Beatty, an Ulsterman of the 36th Division, and Miko Cuddy, a man from Mayo and the 16th Division. The clash between a northern Irishman and a southern Irishman excites everyone. All the soldiers are happy to watch a deathless fight purely for entertainment.
The boxing match provides the soldiers a welcome relief from the perils of war. It also brings them all together in a spirit of friendly competition. At the same time, underlying the match is the tension between northern, Protestant, unionist Irishmen and southern, Catholic, nationalist Irishmen.
Themes
At the start of the match, the men eagerly take their seats in the hall. Private soldiers, line officers, staff officers, and Father Buckley are all present. Everyone cheers when the two boxers enter the ring. William Beatty and Miko Cuddy approach each other without hostility. At the bell, they exchange careful blows, and the audience is pleased by the evenly matched fight. Notably, the differing political and religious affiliations of the crowd members lead not to conflict but to “good-natured banter” instead. Father Buckley thinks of Willie Redmond, who recently spoke of his hope that shared experience in the war might unite nationalist and unionist Irishmen together.
The boxing match creates a temporary period of peace and unity among the soldiers. Men of different ranks, political views, and religious beliefs all come together, connected by their shared excitement, joy, and camaraderie. Thus, the match represents an ideal scenario for Ireland, one characterized by a unified population and peace—not war and internal conflict.
Themes
Miko Cuddy goes down for the count, but miraculously he rises again. In the next round, he slips on a pool of blood, but William Beatty helps him back to his feet. The audience shouts in surprise at the friendly gesture. As the boxers continue trading blows, a peaceful silence descends over the crowd. At last, Miko Cuddy is victorious and becomes a hero.
Cuddy and Beatty’s good sportsmanship represents the possibility for amicable cooperation between southern and northern Irishmen. Although there is one victor at the end of the boxing match, the real triumph of this event seems to be the brief glimpse of a peaceful, unified Ireland that it provided.
Themes
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On a different night, the soldiers put on a performance of an Irish play called “The Rising of the Moon.” A line officer plays the Policeman, while Major Stokes plays the Rebel. Despite all belonging to the King of England’s army, the men in the audience are happy to see the Rebel go free at the end of the play.
The audience’s sympathy for the Rebel—ironically played by a high-ranking British officer—suggests that Ireland’s freedom from British sovereignty is a compelling, worthy cause, even though supporting it contradicts the soldiers’ owed loyalty to England.
Themes
The next month, Willie’s battalion holds a dance. The soldiers have only each other to dance with, so they partner up together—at first jokingly, then out of a sincere desire to have fun. At the end of the night, the pianist plays a reel. Joe Kielty reveals himself to be a champion Irish dancer. All the men—whether they’re Irish, Scottish, Welsh, or English—praise his dancing.
The dance is yet another opportunity for the soldiers to connect with one another, raise their spirits, and enjoy a moment of peace and safety despite being at war. Joe Kielty’s performance unites men from across the United Kingdom in common appreciation of a traditional Irish art form.
Themes
When the soldiers return to their barracks, Willie compliments Joe Kielty’s dancing. Then he asks Joe why he joined the army. Laughing, Joe recounts how he met a girl who gave him a white feather to guilt him into going to war. So, he told her he would go, and his cousin Joe McNulty went with him.
Joe Kielty’s trivial reason for joining the army reveals his initial naivety about war. His lighthearted choice to go to war along with his cousin seems all the more tragic now that Joe McNulty is dead.
Themes
After Willie goes to bed, a wave of despair sweeps over him. He shakes and weeps. He feels that the war and the deaths will never end.
War has changed Willie significantly, filling him with fear, hopelessness, and despair about ceaseless suffering.
Themes
