# Christopher Tietjens — Some Do Not … character guide > Christopher Tietjens in Some Do Not … by Ford Madox Ford. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Christopher, Tietjens, old Christopher, Chrissie, Chris **First appearance:** 0000-part-i-i ## Snapshot A Yorkshire gentleman and government statistician so rigidly honourable he will let his wife divorce him rather than fight, and barely mention it. ## Who they are Christopher Tietjens is the last of a vanishing type: a man who cleans his pipe with a surgical needle, arranges his son's boarding by telephone the day after his wife elopes, and considers his father an almost perfect friend because they need not talk. His marriage to Sylvia is a slow public wound he refuses to dress; his growing, unspoken attraction to Valentine Wannop is the novel's quiet counter-current. He matters because the book tests whether his kind of integrity can survive a world of gossip, war, and women who mistake decency for weakness. ## Relationships ### [Mark Tietjens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/mark_tietjens) _family_ Christopher and Mark are brothers, with Mark acting as a stoic, protective elder brother and moral anchor. ### [Valentine Wannop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/valentine_wannop) _romantic_ Christopher and Valentine share a deep, unspoken romantic love, marked by intense emotional connection and moral restraint. ### [Edith Ethel Duchemin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/edith_ethel_duchemin) _friendship_ Christopher respects Edith Ethel as an intellectual companion and ally, though he is wary of her manipulative nature. ### [Sylvia Tietjens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/sylvia_tietjens) _family_ Christopher and Sylvia are estranged spouses locked in a toxic marriage of mutual resentment and psychological warfare. ### [Vincent Macmaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/vincent_macmaster) _friendship_ Christopher and Vincent were once close friends and colleagues, but their bond has soured due to betrayal and ideological differences. ### [Mark Tietjens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/mark_tietjens) _family_ Christopher and Mark are brothers, with Mark acting as a stoic, protective elder brother and moral anchor. ### [Mark Tietjens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/mark_tietjens) _family_ Christopher and Mark are brothers, with Mark acting as a stoic, protective elder brother and moral anchor. ### [Sylvia Tietjens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/sylvia_tietjens) _family_ Christopher and Sylvia are estranged spouses locked in a toxic marriage of mutual resentment and psychological warfare. ### [Vincent Macmaster](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/vincent_macmaster) _friendship_ Christopher and Vincent were once close friends and colleagues, but their bond has soured due to betrayal and ideological differences. ### [Valentine Wannop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/valentine_wannop) _romantic_ Christopher and Valentine share a deep, unspoken romantic love, marked by intense emotional connection and moral restraint. ### [Valentine Wannop](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/valentine_wannop) _romantic_ Christopher and Valentine share a deep, unspoken romantic love, marked by intense emotional connection and moral restraint. ### [Edith Ethel Duchemin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/edith_ethel_duchemin) _friendship_ Christopher respects Edith Ethel as an intellectual companion and ally, though he is wary of her manipulative nature. ## In the story ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-i) A Yorkshire gentleman, statistician, and Tory; married to Sylvia who has left him; discusses his views on marriage, class, and war. ### [Mrs. Satterthwaite at Lobscheid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-ii) Referenced as Sylvia's husband; his telegram and formal, truthful nature are discussed; he is expected to arrive for an interview. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-iii) Tietjens shows Macmaster Sylvia's letter, drinks Burgundy at lunch, and later reveals he has sent a telegram agreeing to Sylvia's return; he intends to confront Mr. Waterhouse about a faked return. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-iv) Agitated about his marriage to Sylvia, uses patience cards to suppress thoughts, suffers physical shock from Macmaster's entrance, defends himself against Sandbach's accusations, and discusses politics with Mr. Waterhouse. ### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-v) Reevaluates his first impression of Valentine Wannop, considering her as a potential mistress and reflecting on class distinctions. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-vi) Visits Mrs. Wannop, discusses scandal and politics, reflects on his marriage and social standing. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-i-vii) Reflects on his respect for Sylvia and Valentine, breaks his own conventions, and experiences emotional vulnerability after the horse injury. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Discusses his memory loss from a shell explosion in France, his consistency of character, and his predictions about their social move. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-ii-ii) Struggling with mental numbness and the burden of multiple crises, he prepares for his interview with Lord Port Scatho and his departure to the front. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-ii-iii) Subject of Ruggles' damaging rumors; his reputation is ruined by false claims about his marriage, affair with Valentine Wannop, and suspected disloyalty. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-ii-iv) Discusses his mathematical work and his wife Sylvia; later appears aged and dull after returning from war. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-ii-v) Absent from the scene but central to Valentine's thoughts; his wife's accusations and his refusal to support Mrs. Wannop's sensational articles weigh on Valentine. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/chapters/part-ii-vi) Reflects on Macmaster's knighthood and his own departure for France; feels ashamed and unable to look Macmaster in the face; recalls intimate farewell with Valentine Wannop; confronts Mr. Ruggles about club resignation. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters/christopher_tietjens - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/some_do_not_se/characters