# Christopher Tietjens — A Man Could Stand Up— character guide

> Christopher Tietjens in A Man Could Stand Up— by Ford Madox Ford.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Tietjens, Xtopher Tietjens, Tietjen, Major Tietjens, Fat Man Tietjens

**First appearance:** 0001-a-man-could-stand-up

## Snapshot

A brilliant, scrupulous English gentleman and acting battalion commander who has been so thoroughly discredited by his wife that he can barely tell his honor from his ruin.

## Who they are

Tietjens commands a ragtime battalion with the same exacting conscience he once brought to his estate and his marriage, watching a marksman fire into invisibility with a mathematician's calm while his own reputation is picked off from behind. He is a Younger Son, a Hamlet of the trenches, and a man who has decided at last that he wants something and is prepared to take it. His early arc is the slow, painful conversion of a man of duty into a man of desire.

## Relationships

### [Sylvia Tietjens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/characters/sylvia_tietjens)

_family_

Christopher and Sylvia are estranged husband and wife, locked in a bitter, manipulative, and emotionally destructive marriage.

## In the story

### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/dedication)

Referenced as the central figure whose Toryism was discussed in a previous preface.

### [A Man Could Stand Up—](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/a-man-could-stand-up)

In the trenches, waiting for an attack, reviewing paperwork, and resolving to live with Valentine after the war.

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-i-ii)

Tietjens is the absent figure at the center of Valentine's thoughts—rumored to be mad, broke, and alone, with his furniture removed.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-i-iii)

Discussed as a man broken down by the war; Valentine defends him against claims of bad behavior.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-ii-i)

The protagonist, a second-in-command, reflects on the recent attack, his Colonel's hostility, and the surreal nature of trench warfare.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-ii-ii)

Commanding the battalion in the trenches, he faces Mckechnie's resentment and the terror of the coming strafe, while seeking solace in thoughts of the seventeenth century.

### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-ii-iii)

Reflects on the battalion's losses, the Colonel's failing morale, and his own role in deciding the Colonel's fate; recalls the Max Redoubt observation post.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-ii-iv)

Temporarily commanding the battalion, he inspects trenches, reviews paperwork, and prepares for the German attack.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-ii-v)

Reflects on the captured deserter, the Colonel's request, and his desire to command the battalion; realizes his plans involve Valentine Wannop.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-ii-vi)

Reclines on a mound, reflecting on his machine guns, his love for Valentine, and his confrontation with General Campion. Resolves to appeal against Campion's insult.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-iii-i)

Absent but central; Valentine observes his empty house, his sold furniture, and finds his penciled note; she is uncertain of his sanity.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/chapters/part-iii-ii)

Stands at the telephone, resolves to live with Valentine, reflects on Campion and Sylvia.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/characters/christopher_tietjens
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_man_could_stand_up_se/characters