Battery Sergeant Major Joyce Character Analysis in The Wars

The officer who supervises the horse detail aboard the S.S. Massanabie. After Robert Ross takes over Harris’s job of watching over the horses, B.S.M. Joyce is the one who delivers the news that one of the horses has broken its leg and that Robert must shoot it. He is compassionate and understanding toward Robert, who becomes physically ill at the mere thought of killing the animal.

Battery Sergeant Major Joyce Character Timeline in The Wars

The timeline below shows where the character Battery Sergeant Major Joyce appears in The Wars. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the upper decks for safety and forced to remain silent and without light. One night, Battery Sergeant-Major Joyce comes to Robert’s bunk to tell him that one of the horses has broken its... (full context)

...shooting the wounded horse because he has never killed a living creature. He wonders why B.S.M. Joyce , who is a much more experienced soldier, cannot do it instead. Joyce is compassionate... (full context)

Robert and B.S.M. Joyce reach the S.S. Massanabie’s hold, where the horses are packed in tightly and given no... (full context)

Robert’s first shot fails to kill the horse. B.S.M. Joyce advises him to be “cool and quick,” but he panics and shoots the horse repeatedly... (full context)