Raina is a young woman living in the provinces in Bulgaria, and born into the wealthy Petkoff family. She pines for her fiancé Sergius, who has just led a successful, if ill-planned, cavalry charge against the Serbs.

What was Raina imagination of Sergio charge?

Raina now realizes what it was that Louka was staring at, and she is surprised that the others didn’t notice it. … Raina then takes the portrait of Sergius and shows it to the officer, who agrees that this was indeed the person who was “charging the windmills and imagining he was doing the finest thing.”

How does Raina save Bluntschli?

When she meets Captain Bluntschli, not only do her views change, but so does her role. … In her interactions with Captain Bluntschli, Raina becomes a strong woman whose quick wits actually save Captain Bluntschli from capture, as well as providing him with food, warm clothing, and a safe place to rest.

Why Raina choose Bluntschli?

She is romantic, for example, when she remembers an opera (Verdi’s Ernani) in which a member of the aristocracy shelters an enemy; thus, she shelters Bluntschli, since it is “chivalrous” to protect him.

What is the relationship between Raina and Louka?

Raina and Louka are alike in both being engaged to a man they don’t love that happens to be of their social class. Both also eventually get the man they most desire. However, the two are a study in contrasts. Raina is wealthy, romantic, and pampered, while Louka, a servant, has to live by her wits.

Who realizes Raina is hiding an enemy soldier?

Catherine realizes that he is the man that hid in Raina’s room, the same man that she and Raina helped escape. Catherine worries that Sergius and Petkoff, who are conferring over military plans in the library, might encounter the soldier.

Do Raina and Sergius love each other?

He is praised by her parents, and Raina still appears to be in love with him when they finally see each other. They share a deep embrace, and on the surface, they seem truly in love, but it all seems like a performance. … This comes to a shock because of the illusion of love that Raina and Sergius had.

What was Raina imagination of Sergius?

Raina’s ideas about soldier and the war Raina was having the idea about war as like her father and Sergius before she did meet with Bluntschli. She thought that soldier is a man who can combat fearlessly with the enemy for saving his own country. She also got this oversimplifies idea from the books she used to read.

Who creates misunderstanding between Raina and Sergius?

Raina used to call Bluntschli as “ Chocolate cream soldier”. Raina & Sergius were in “higher love” but then due to misunderstandings between both of them due to Bluntschli & Louka they both started creating distance between themselves.

Why does Raina give shelter to the enemy soldier?

When Raina hears the news, she turns to the soldier. He says that he is prepared to die, but he certainly plans to kill a few Bulgarian soldiers in her bedroom before he dies. Thus, Raina impetuously decides to hide him. … Furthermore, he is not an enemy; he is a Swiss, a professional soldier hired by Serbia.

Article first time published on

Why did Catherine and Petkoff agree to the union of Bluntschli and Raina?

Raina’s mother, and matriarch of the Petkoff household. Catherine wants to marry off her daughter to as wealthy and prominent a man as possible. … As it becomes clear that Sergius is not the man he presented himself to be, Catherine is willing to switch her allegiances to Bluntschli.

What name does Raina give to the Swiss?

Bluntschli does possess some qualities which cause Raina to exchange the “noble and heroic” Sergius in favor of him. Raina’s perfect honesty, in fact, allows her to relax and to come down from her pedestal.

What do Raina and Catherine lend bluntschli?

Catherine and Raina lend Bluntschli Major Petkoff’s coat to escape the estate in the fall, under cover of darkness. The coat is a symbol of the various instances of deception around which the novel unfolds.

Who is the most heroic character in the play Arms and the Man?

The analysis concludes that the real hero of the play is Captain Bluntschli. He acts as the anti hero of the play. Despite his straightforward and practical thought, Bluntschli makes the other characters defeat their own egos and step away from their pretentions.

Who is the chocolate cream soldier in Arms and the Man?

The “chocolate cream soldier” is the driving force of the plot. Bluntschli is a rationalist, meaning a man who believes in reacting to situations based on the facts, not on what is good versus what is bad.

Who is Sergius to Raina?

Its heroine, Raina Petkoff, is a young Bulgarian woman engaged to Sergius Saranoff, one of the heroes of that war, whom she idolizes.

Who was Raina and Sergius describe their relationship?

Raina and Bluntschli have a relationship that is authentic and honest from the start of Arms and the Man. In contrast, Raina and Sergius are romantic with each other. He is the dashing calvary officer, and she his adoring lady.

Why has Sergius resigned his Army commission?

Sergius announces, however, that he has resigned his commission in the Bulgarian army because he can no longer tolerate the cowardice of those in command. He repeats that although his cavalry charge was successful, the officers believed it was foolish and out of line with military etiquette.

Who expressed dismay about the cruelty of war?

Lead a cavalry charge. Who expresses dismay about the cruelty of war? Raina.

What happens while Raina leaves to find her mother *?

Raina tells the man to stay awake and alert while she informs her mother, Catherine, of the situation, since her father, Major Petkoff, is still off at battle. The man promises not to sleep. But when Raina is gone, he stumbles over to her bed and falls asleep instantly.

Who is Louka engaged to?

Louka is engaged to Nicola, the head male servant. She has a vexed if flirtatious relationship with Sergius, who engaged to Raina. Louka wants to better her social station by marrying a noble, and criticizes Nicola for having no aspirations over those of a common servant.

What does Sergius do to Louka when they speak privately?

Sergius tries to reprimand Louka for gossiping so about her mistress, but he is visibly upset and dramatically strikes his forehead. He insists that Louka tell him who his rival is, but she will not do so, especially since he has just reprimanded her for talking about her mistress.

Who is Louka in Arms and the Man?

Louka is an opinionated, beautiful young servant working for the Petkoffs . She is expected to settle down with and marry Nicola, the family’s head servant. However, she rejects the idea that her being born into a poorer family means she must live as servant to the rich her whole life.

What does Louka tell Raina in the opening scene of the play?

When Catherine is gone, Louka privately tells Raina that she can push open one of the shutters against Catherine’s wishes to continue listening to the battle, as one shutter does not bolt properly.

Who is Sergius in Arms and the Man?

Sergius is Raina’s foil. He too is revealed to be far different than he first appears. He is not quite the noble hero of the Battle of Slivnitza. As Bluntschli notes, his cavalry charge was at best ill-informed, and it played to Sergius’s vanity.

What kind of love do Raina and Sergius worship?

So, from the above exchange, we can see that Raina and Sergius are romantic idealists who are together only because they share the same misguided notions about valor and war. Thus, the “higher love” they share is an illusion.

Who Sergius eventually married?

His list of possessions is so impressive that it is agreed that he shall indeed marry Raina, who is delighted with her “chocolate cream soldier.” As Bluntschli leaves, with the promise of being back in two weeks, Sergius looks in wonder and comments, “What a man! Is he a man!”

Who carried chocolate instead of bullets?

Shaw’s characters mirror the complexity and murkiness of war, as the “hero” turns out to have major flaws, and the more practical, knowledgeable soldier carries chocolates instead of ammunition. Sergius and Bluntschli seem to destroy the idea of war as a glorified act.

Where is bluntschli from?

Bluntschli is a Swedish professional soldier who fights with the Servians during the war.

What is bluntschli opinion about Sergius and his cavalry charge How does Raina react to it?

Raina thinks Sergius must have charged ahead of the others because he was the bravest of them all. Bluntschli tells her only the young soldiers charge wildly without realizing they can be shot easily whereas the older soldiers go in groups realizing the futility of fighting.

What did Raina write on the photograph?

Now, I ask you, would a woman who took the affair seriously have sent me this and written on it: “Raina, to her chocolate cream soldier — a souvenir“? (He exhibits the photograph triumphantly, as if it settled the matter beyond all possibility of refutation.)