The Man He Killed by Thomas Hardy poignantly explores the senseless brutality of war, portraying the tragic irony of two potential friends turned foes. The speaker of the poem grapples to justify the inexplicable act of killing a fellow man in the midst of conflict.
This study guide is written for students and teachers of English Literature, particularly those studying CCEA’s GCSE English Literature Conflict Anthology. For more study guides from this anthology, check out the Conflict page, or the list of poems in the series at the bottom of this guide.
The Man He Killed
What is 'The Man He Killed' about?
Summary of stanza 1:
The poem opens with the speaker, a soldier, reflecting on a missed opportunity for friendship with a soldier from the opposing army. He imagines a chance meeting with the man he later kills in war at an old inn. The tone is regretful, emphasising the missed opportunity for friendship and understanding.
Summary of stanza 2:
The poem shifts abruptly to the harsh reality of war, describing how the two men, instead of sharing a drink, find themselves as soldiers facing each other. The symmetry in their actions is highlighted, with both shooting at each other.
Summary of stanza 3:
The speaker, grappling with the justification for the killing, asserts that it happened because the other man was considered a foe. The repetition and the matter-of-fact tone underscore the lack of a clear rationale for viewing the other man as an enemy.
Summary of stanza 4:
The soldier speculates on the reasons the other man enlisted, suggesting impulsive decisions and lack of full consideration. It is clear in his hesitations that he cannot find substantial motives for their enlistment. The are almost mirror images of each other, just wearing different uniforms.
Summary of stanza 5:
The concluding quatrain reflects on the oddity of war, emphasising the irony of killing a fellow man whom one might have treated to a drink in different circumstances. The repetition of the missed friendship and the contrast between killing and buying each other a drink accentuates the senselessness of war.
Context of 'The Man He Killed'
Thomas Hardy's life, education and career
Thomas Hardy, born on 2nd June 1840, in Dorset, England, was a Victorian novelist and poet, known for his depictions of rural life and his exploration of the complexities of human relationships.
Hardy was educated in a local school in Bockhampton, then at Mr. Last’s Academy in Dorchester. His love of literature emerged at an early age, but his family’s lack of means meant Hardy did not attend university. Instead, he began to work as an architect’s assistant in 1856. His understanding of settings and structures added integrity to his poetry and novels, lending authenticity to his storytelling.
In the early 1860s, Hardy moved to London where he continued to study literature and began to write poetry, although his first book of poetry, ‘Wessex Poems,’ was not published until 1898.
In 1874, Hardy married Emma Gifford, a well-educated woman who shared his love for literature. Their marriage faced challenges, with Emma struggling with mental health issues. The strained relationship between Thomas and Emma Hardy profoundly influenced his later novels, with themes of love, marriage, and societal expectations prevalent throughout his work.
In 1895, Thomas Hardy published ‘Jude the Obscure,’ a novel that faced harsh criticism for its controversial themes and critiques of societal norms. The negative reception, coupled with personal tragedies, including Emma’s death in 1912, led Hardy to abandon novel writing. He turned his focus to poetry, publishing several collections, including ‘Poems 1912-13’ and ‘Satires of Circumstance.’
Thomas Hardy passed away on 11th January 1928, in Dorchester.
Context of 'The Man He Killed'
‘The Man He Killed’ was first published in 1902. The poem reflects the grim reality of war, specifically the Boer War, which occurred between the British Empire and the Boer Republics (the South African Republic and the Orange Free State) from 1899 to 1902.
You can read more about the Boer War here.
Another poem written around the same time, and in the same context of the Boer War, is Sir Henry Newbolt’s poem Vitaï Lampada. ‘Vitaï Lampada’ is also part of the CCEA Conflict Anthology, and so provides an excellent comparison poem for ‘The Man He Killed.’
Analysis of 'The Man He Killed'
'The Man He Killed' title
The title is factual in tone. The use of the third person pronoun ‘he’ sits in contrast to the first line, which is first person. The clue to understanding this disparity is in the use of the speech marks: the poem is a conversation between a speaker and another, third person. The ‘I’ of the poem is a soldier who shot another enemy soldier at war, and then returns home and discusses the event. The title uses ‘he’ in reference to this speaker, and therefore makes the poem an overheard conversation. Taking a step back from the first person in the title creates a critical position in which the reader can listen and consider the question of the morality of war for themselves.
'The Man He Killed' line-by-line analysis
Stanza 1
"Had he and I but met
- The opening line introduces the element of a chance meeting, highlighting the potential for camaraderie between the speaker and the killed man.
- Alliteratio is used softly and subtly in the opening two words ‘Had he’, creating a reflective tone.
By some old ancient inn,
- The setting, an old inn, adds a touch of nostalgia, suggesting a place of warmth and conviviality. The setting in stanza one is hypothetical: the reality is that the speaker and the man did not meet in an inn, but rather on the battlefield.
We should have set us down to wet
- The anticipation of a shared drink, ‘nipperkin,’ emphasises the camaraderie that could have been.
- This missed opportunity of friendship is further emphasised by the plural pronoun ‘we’.
Right many a nipperkin!
- The colloquial term ‘nipperkin’ sets this poem firmly in England. In some parts of the UK, a ‘nip’ is a small drink.
- The usage of ‘right’ here as an intensifier is also colloquial, grounding the poem firmly on home soil rather than at war.
Stanza 2
But ranged as infantry,
- The abrupt shift from the hypothetical scenario to the harsh reality of war underscores the randomness of the soldier’s fate.
- The stanza and sentence open with ‘But’ emphasising the shift in setting and in time, jolting the speaker from a hypothetical scene to this recollection of a real situation.
And staring face to face,
- The repetition of ‘face’ emphasises the direct confrontation and shared humanity between the two soldiers.
- Repetition is highlighted by alliteration, creating a gentle rhythm, almost sing-songy in effect.
I shot at him as he at me,
- The symmetry in their actions underscores the absurdity of killing someone who, in different circumstances, would have been a friend.
- The alternate rhyme of infantry/me and face/place creates a child-like rhyme which is in direct contrast to the matter-of-fact brutality of ‘I shot at him as he at me’. Hardy opposes the rhyme with the content to force the reader to think about the senselessness of war.
And killed him in his place.
- The bluntness of this line starkly contrasts with the earlier envisaged camaraderie, highlighting the brutality of war.
- The end-stop forces the reader to stop reading and take a pause to reflect on the story that has been told so far.
Stanza 3
I shot him dead because-
- The hyphen at the end of this line creates a moment of hesitation, showing the questioning tone the speaker’s own understanding of why he committed the act.
Because he was my foe,
- The soldier attempts to justify his actions with a straightforward reason, but the repetition of ‘because’ suggests an attempt to convince himself as much as anyone else.
- This line seems almost said from rote learning due to its factual tone: the soldier repeats a well rehearsed line from his memory to justify his actions.
Just so: my foe of course he was;
- The rhyme of ‘so’ early on this line and the final sound in ‘foe’ of the previous line further adds to the sing-song rhythm of the poem. This casual, lighthearted rhythm sits at odds with the very serious and questioning tone of the subject matter.
- The repetition and the matter-of-fact tone emphasise the lack of a clear rationale for viewing the other man as an enemy.
- The phrase ‘of course he was’ adds to the uncertainty; the speaker is talking himself into his actions and is trying to quell the doubt in his mind.
That's clear enough; although
- The semi-colon in the middle of the line is a caesura, forcing the reader to pause along with the speaker, and highlights the contrast between the thoughts on either side of the semi-colon.
- Enjambment in this line creates a conversational tone, highlighting the nature of this interaction. Although we only hear one side, it is clear the soldier is speaking to someone.
- The juxtaposition of ‘that’s clear enough’ and the conjunction ‘although’ shows the conflicted nature of the speaker’s thought process.
Stanza 4
He thought he'd 'list, perhaps,
- The soldier speculates on the reasons the other man enlisted, introducing the notion of impulsive decisions.
- The abbreviation of ‘enlist’ to ”list’ further adds lightness and informality to the conversation, despite the very heavy and serious subject matter.
Off-hand like-just as I-
- The comparison between their decisions highlights the randomness and lack of deep consideration behind their choices.
- ‘just as I’ reminds both the speaker and the reader that these two opposing soldiers are likely very similar people. The symmetry of their actions and choices is made clear throughout the poem.
- The broken syntax and the disruptive punctuation in this line and the next highlights the confusion in the speaker’s thinking.
Was out of work-had sold his traps-
- Possible reasons for enlistment, such as unemployment and selling belongings, underscore the haphazard nature of their decisions. Perhaps these were the speaker’s own reasons for enlisting which he projects onto the life of his ‘enemy’.
- This line is slightly longer than most others, with two different reasons included in the line. This length underscores the speaker’s desire to find a rational reason for war.
No other reason why.
- The concluding line of the soldier’s rationalisation emphasises the lack of a substantial motive, revealing the arbitrary nature of war.
- The sing-song rhythm is apt here, as there is no reason more substantial to be found: the reasons for all of the killing seems to be as light and empty as the rhythm itself.
Stanza 5
Yes; quaint and curious war is!
- The concluding quatrain reflects on the oddity of war, circling back to the initial idea of the missed camaraderie.
- The opening utterance ‘Yes’ is conversational.
- The caesura after ‘Yes’ makes it clear that this is a conclusion to the questioning and hypotheticals of the previous stanzas.
- ‘Quaint’ and ‘curious’ are ironic adjectives to use in a conclusion to the previous stanzas.
- Bathos is used here (an anticlimax created by moving from the sublime to the trivial) highlighting the senselessness of war.
You shoot a fellow down
- The harsh bluntness underscores the ‘normality’ of taking a life in war.
- ‘You shoot’ uses the simple present tense, as if to imply this is an every day occurrence, familiar to all.
You'd treat, if met where any bar is,
- The contrast between killing and the hypothetical scenario of sharing a drink in a bar emphasizes the irony and senselessness of war.
- The final lines of the poem return to the thought developed in the opening stanza: the imagined drink at an ancient inn.
Or help to half a crown."
- The concluding line echoes the beginning, emphasising the lost opportunity for friendship and mutual understanding. Perhaps war could be avoided altogether, had individual soldiers anything to do with it.
- The reference to ‘half a crown’ is another feature of British culture, setting the poem very much in an English setting.
Analysis of form and structure
Verse structure
The poem has a regular structure, written in five equal quatrains (four-line verses). Due to the nature of a one-sided conversation, this poem is a dramatic monologue. It explores the dark thoughts and trauma of a solider who returns from war and struggles to process the actions he took while at war.
Rhyme
The poem has a regular rhyme scheme, where the first and third lines of each stanza rhyme, as do the second and forth. Often this is noted as ABAB and described as alternate rhyme. This rhyme scheme is often employed in nursery rhymes and songs, giving the poem a false sense of child-like innocence, or of a lighthearted nature. In fact, the rhyme contrasts starkly with the dark thoughts of the speaker. This very contrast between rhyme and content perhaps reflects the very traumatised nature of soldiers returning from war and attempting to process what they had witnessed and done while at war.
Rhythm
The rhythm of the poem is regular in each stanza. The meter is iambic, with the second syllable of each pair of syllables being stressed. There are three stressed syllables in lines one, two and four, making these lines iambic trimeter. Line three of each stanza is longer, with four stressed syllables, making line three iambic tetrameter.
The regular rhythm in each stanza works along with the regular alternate rhyme to create a sing-song effect, which is ironic given the dark thoughts explored by the speaker.
Themes in 'The Man He Killed'
Futility of war
‘The Man He Killed’ has a very strong anti-war message. The overarching theme is the futility of war, depicted through the repetition of the missed camaraderie and the ironic contrast between killing a fellow man and the imagined scenario of sharing a drink. The poem delves into the irrational and senseless nature of war, highlighting the absurdity of killing someone who, in different circumstances, could have been a friend.
Impulsiveness in enlisting
The poem touches on the impulsive nature of enlisting in the army, suggesting that individuals may join without deep consideration, driven by factors like unemployment or the selling of personal belongings. Hardy’s humble upbringing helps him to relate to those who might have made a decision to enlist based on the opportunity to earn a steady income.
Justification and guilt
The soldier grapples with justifying his actions, revealing the inner conflict and guilt associated with killing a fellow man. The poem explores the inadequacy of the reasons provided for such acts, yet with a falsely lighthearted tone, making it seem light and conversational.
Missed friendship
The theme of missed opportunities for camaraderie and friendship is central to the poem, emphasising the tragic consequences of war on potential connections between individuals. The poem raises huge moral issues in relation to war, focusing on the twisted irony of killing people who are just like you, except born in a different place.
Comprehension Questions on 'The Man He Killed' by Thomas Hardy
- What is the initial setting envisioned by the speaker in the poem, and how does it contrast with the reality of the setting of the poem?
- Describe the tone of the first stanza and how it contributes to the overall mood of the poem.
- What literary devices does Hardy employ to emphasise the symmetry in the actions of the two soldiers in the second stanza?
- What is the soldier’s justification for shooting the other man, and how does the poet use poetic devices to convey the lack of clarity in this reasoning?
- Explore the significance of the soldier’s speculation about the reasons the other man enlisted and the repetition of ‘I’ and ‘he’ in the fourth stanza.
- How does the poet use language to convey the impulsive nature of the soldiers’ decisions to enlist in the army?
- In the final quatrain, what is the central idea in the phrase ‘Yes; quaint and curious war is!’?
- How does the structure of the poem contribute to the overall message about the futility and senselessness of war as portrayed by Hardy?
- What poem in the CCEA Conflict Anthology (or any other anthology you are studying) is most similar to ‘The Man He Killed’ in its attitude to war?
- What poem in the CCEA Conflict Anthology (or any other anthology you are studying) is least similar to ‘The Man He Killed’ in its attitude to war?
Both ‘The Man He Killed’ and ‘Bayonet Charge’ explore the harrowing realities of war and its impact on individual soldiers. Hughes explores the disorienting and chaotic nature of battle, while Hardy focuses more on the tragic irony of individual relationships.
‘Vitaï Lampada’ by Sir Henry Newbolt is set in the same context as ‘The Man He Killed,’ the Boer War. While Hardy’s poem takes a critical view of war, seeing it as futile, Newbolt’s poem is fiercly patriotic, seeing war as an honour and a privilege for anyone, and death at war as glorious. These contrasting persepectives provide plenty of scope for comparison.
‘The Man He Killed’ explores the personal and immediate consequences of conflict through the eyes of a soldier who reflects on the absurdity of killing a potential friend. ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’ contemplates war and mortality from the perspective of an Irish aviator with a more introspective and philosophical tone, providing students with alternate perspectives.
‘Vergissmeinnicht’ explores the aftermath of battle, focusing on the discovery of a dead enemy soldier, delving into the human aspects of war. Douglas draws on his own experiences as a soldier during World War II. Students can explore war poetry across different historical contexts, with themes such as the dehumanisation of enemies, the psychological toll of war, and the moral implications of killing. There are opportunities to contrast the time periods and personal experiences of the poets.
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