# David Gerhardt — One of Ours character guide

> David Gerhardt in One of Ours by Willa Cather.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Lieutenant Gerhardt, Gerhardt, Dave

**First appearance:** 0061-i

## Snapshot

A refined, French-speaking American officer whose easy manners and quiet courage give Claude his first taste of the world he has been longing for.

## Who they are

Gerhardt moves through French households and officers' quarters with a grace Claude can only envy, teasing his friend out of a sulk and steering him through dinners he can't understand. He is educated, musical, at home in the war as Claude is not, and his patience with Claude's awkwardness is a form of generosity. Their friendship becomes the emotional center of Claude's army years — the answer, or part of one, to the question of what he was looking for all along.

## Relationships

### [Claude Wheeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/claude_wheeler)

_friendship_

Claude forms a profound, admiring friendship with the cultured, wounded violinist during their war service.

### [Claude Wheeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/claude_wheeler)

_friendship_

Claude forms a profound, admiring friendship with the cultured, wounded violinist during their war service.

### [Claude Wheeler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/claude_wheeler)

_friendship_

Claude forms a profound, admiring friendship with the cultured, wounded violinist during their war service.

## In the story

### [Book IV: The Voyage of the Anchises](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/book-iv-the-voyage-of-the-anchises)

A fellow soldier and intellectual companion who challenges Claude's perspectives.

### [Book V: “Bidding the Eagles of the West Fly On”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/book-v-bidding-the-eagles-of-the-west-fly-on)

A fellow soldier and lieutenant who becomes a significant figure in Claude's military experience.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/v)

Lieutenant Gerhardt is introduced as a capable and distinguished officer who helps Claude find a billet with Madame Joubert.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/vi)

Shares a quiet morning with Claude, reveals his past as a violinist, and expresses his disillusionment with the war.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/vii)

Shows the men how to stuff grass and leaves in their helmets to keep cool.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/viii)

Shares the dugout with Claude, bathes in the shell-hole, and works on a map at Battalion Headquarters.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/ix)

Mentioned in Claude's thoughts as someone who lived in a rose-colored world, contrasted with the hard realities of war.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xi)

Assigned with Claude to lead the raid, urges men forward, returns with prisoners, and accompanies Claude on leave.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xii)

Arrives with Claude, explains their wet clothes; shares in the bath and meal.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xiii)

Discusses his lost violin career, his fatalism about the war, and his belief in immortality.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xiv)

Plays the violin for the family, discusses the war's impact, and tries to reassure Claude.

### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xv)

Rejoins the battalion with Claude, translates for the farmer, and interrogates German prisoners.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xvi)

Fights alongside Claude, tries to save Dell Able, and seems pleased with Claude after the encounter.

### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/chapters/xvii)

Billeted with Claude; observes the soldiers' engagements with local women; dances at the farewell party.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters/david_gerhardt
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/one_of_ours_se/characters