The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Freddie Iven, the second point-of-view character, is Laura’s younger brother and a soldier fighting with Canadian forces on the front lines near Ypres and Passchendaele. Before the war, he worked as a harbor clerk while painting and writing mediocre poetry in his spare time. Freddie is young, frightened, and idealistic—all qualities that the novel implies have made him more susceptible to trauma during the war. Like Laura, he views the war as proof that the world is ending. He submits to Faland’s twisted control because he is afraid to face his own actions or what others, especially his sister, might think of him.

Though Freddie sees only his flaws, which he believes include cowardice, shame, and anger, he is also kind, loving, and fiercely loyal. His love for Laura and Winter eventually fuels his determination to escape Faland’s control, though he requires help from Laura to regain his sense of self and take the first steps to recovery. As a dynamic character whose arc takes him from despair to tentative hope, Freddie represents the many soldiers who returned from WWI deeply traumatized and scarred by their experiences. The final chapter makes clear that recovery from such trauma is an ongoing process that does not have a clearly defined end and that these soldiers returned from the war as very different people than they were before they left.

A round secondary character, Hans Winter is a German soldier who is trapped in the pillbox with Freddie Iven. He is badly injured in one arm. He is older than Freddie, in his mid-thirties, and is better at keeping his composure. Through actions and dialogue, Winter reveals a more nuanced understanding of the ways war distorts and corrupts; he believes, for example, that the ugliness of war negates any black-and-white ideals of bravery and cowardice. Despite this cynicism, however, he retains his conscience and compassion throughout. Like Freddie, he is staunchly loyal, refusing to escape to safety while Freddie is lost in Faland’s clutches. He is also the only character who can see through Faland’s facade immediately, recognizing him for the evil he is. It is only with his steadfast support and love that Freddie has any hope of fully recovering from his trauma, making their relationship the primary proof of The Resilience of the Human Spirit.

Mrs. Penelope “Pim” Shaw is a Canadian widow living in Halifax who has lost both her husband and her son. Her son, Jimmy, died on the front lines in Ypres. When Laura decides to return to Belgium with Mary Borden, Pim decides to join them. She is blonde, beautiful, and elegant, and the soldiers all love her. Pim initially appears to be a flat character and is routinely underestimated by her friends and enemies alike because she acts dainty and flighty. Beneath this exterior, however, she is hardened by grief and ruthless in her plan to get revenge.

Pim’s thoughts and motives are a mystery to both Laura and the reader, lending a sense of building tension to the narrative. Though Laura does not understand Pim’s plan until it is too late, small clues foreshadow the conclusion. Pim’s obsessive need for revenge demonstrates the deep trauma war can inflict even on those who are not directly involved in the fighting. Pim cannot make sense of her loss and must find a concrete object on which to lay the blame and hate. She, like Freddie, is deeply wounded, and she offers a window into Freddie’s possible fate when she chooses to leave with Faland.

Dr. Stephen Jones is an American surgeon who has volunteered to work at the field hospital run by Mary Borden. He is brusque and acerbic. However, he is also a skilled surgeon who cares deeply for the well-being of his patients. Jones is a hopeful figure in a narrative otherwise filled with characters who have, or nearly have, given up on life and the future. He thus inspires renewed hope for Laura. He is also a love interest for Laura who shows her that she deserves gentleness and support after giving everyone else support for so long. His support proves vital on both an emotional level and a material one, as he provides funds and paperwork for Laura, Freddie, and Winter to escape Belgium.