# How does Now It Can Be Told develop the theme of Loss of Innocence?

> Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs

## Answer

Now It Can Be Told by Philip Gibbs develops Loss of Innocence across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

Young men, described as boys or schoolchildren, are thrust into horrific violence, losing their idealism and youth; the book mourns the destruction of a generation's potential and joy.

Young soldiers who went to war 'gay in their approach' return 'maimed and mangled and blinded,' and civilians who thought of war as 'heroic pageantry' are confronted with its brutal reality.

The calm, matter-of-fact preparation for death by the young officer and the sullen man's eventual singing of hymns underscore the erosion of normal human responses and innocence in the face of war's brutality.

The initial excitement of war fades as soldiers face the grim reality of prolonged conflict, with a young soldier describing how the adventure turned into a sense of doom and slavery.

## Evidence

- [i](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/i.md): Young soldiers who went to war 'gay in their approach' return 'maimed and mangled and blinded,' and civilians who thought of war as 'heroic pageantry' are confronted with its brutal reality.
- [xiii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/xiii.md): The calm, matter-of-fact preparation for death by the young officer and the sullen man's eventual singing of hymns underscore the erosion of normal human responses and innocence in the face of war's brutality.
- [part-ii-the-school-of-courage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/part-ii-the-school-of-courage.md): The initial excitement of war fades as soldiers face the grim reality of prolonged conflict, with a young soldier describing how the adventure turned into a sense of doom and slavery.
- [ii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/ii.md): Describes how young men, initially drawn by adventure and patriotic fervor, gradually realize the grim reality of war as they undergo harsh training and face the prospect of combat.
- [iii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iii.md): The young volunteers from Sussex villages face the brutal reality of war, losing their pre-war innocence as they encounter shellfire and death.
- [iv](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/iv.md): The boy's scornful question about patriotism and the men's silent longing for home reflect a loss of youthful idealism.
- [vii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/vii.md): The transformation of Ypres from a bustling city with shops and tea rooms to a city of ruin and death symbolizes the loss of innocence and the brutal reality of war.
- [viii](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/now_it_can_be_told_se/chapters/viii.md): Young soldiers from the Civil Service express cynicism and disillusionment, joking about death and questioning the purpose of war.

## Links

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