Parade's End

The varied symbolism of a parade runs throughout the novel beginning primarily in the second book, No More Parades. The symbol’s importance for communicating the various types of “parades” featured throughout the novel lent the tetralogy its overall title of Parade’s End. There are several meanings attached to the word parade. The first reference comes in an anecdote from Christopher about a battalion going to war: that there will be no more parades. The literal meaning is that the unit will exist solely for combat purposes and will have no need for military parades. Christopher draws the meaning out even further to indicate that there is no future for any of them, that the old military ways are null and void, and that there is only combat and death. A military parade is also used to signify an inspection. When the General inspects Christopher’s kitchens, they refer to it as a parade. This may also mean a dressing down by a superior officer. Parade signifies the end of the old soldier’s life, epitomized by those who had wanted to be career soldiers prior to the outbreak of war, like Sgt. Maj. Cowley in No More Parades. Parades, however, do not solely deal with military life. The motif is carried over into the civilian sector as well to mean a break with old traditions and mores. When Christopher says he will no longer be on parade after the war, he means that he will no longer act the English country gentleman.