Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Living... a normal life in England. Or at least he was before the “war to end all wars” began.
Visiting... the battlefields of World War I. Schofield is currently stationed on the Western Front in northern France. Though soldiers are granted leave, he’d prefer to just serve out his time. As he notes, “I hated going home. I hated it. When I knew I couldn't stay. When I knew I had to leave, and they might never see me.”
Profession... soldier. Schofield is an experienced Lance Corporal in the British Army, and veteran of the bloody Battle of the Somme.
Interests... poetry, wine, and dreaming of getting a decent meal.
Relationship Status... tight-lipped. Schofield doesn’t like to discuss his personal life with his fellow soldiers, although he does mention having a family back home.
Challenge... completing a seemingly impossible mission. Aerial reconnaissance has discovered that what seems to be a German retreat is actually a strategic withdrawal designed to lure British armies into a trap. Because the field telephone lines have been cut, General Erinmore has no way to call off the doomed British attack. So he enlists Schofield and Lance Corporal Tom Blake to physically carry a message nine miles across No Man’s Land and into German territory. They must complete the mission by tomorrow morning or the lives of 1,600 men will be in mortal peril. While young, earnest Blake was chosen because his brother is in the ill-fated battalion, he selected Schofield to join him without realizing what they were signing up for.
Personality... pragmatic and unsentimental. Schofield is a loyal soldier, but he doesn’t revel in the glories of war. He doesn’t even wear the medal he earned at the Battle of the Somme, which he sees as “just a bit of bloody tin.” “It doesn't make you special,” he explains. “It doesn't make any difference to anyone.” Schofield is practical and pragmatic, and prefers to think things through rather than act on instinct. Yet he’s also incredibly brave and a deeply loyal friend. Though it sometimes seems like war has robbed him of his compassion, he has deeper wells of humanity than he realizes.
