Arms And the Man : Summary

Summary

We’ll know the summary in only four steps. It’ll be easy to understand the story.

1. The Starting of the Story
2. The Chocolate Cream Soldier, Bluntschli’s Entry, and Raina’s Helping
3. Sergius’ Attraction for Louka
4. 2nd Time Bluntschli’s Entry 

The Starting of the Story: At the beginning of the play, Raina is sitting on her balcony watching the stars late at night, and suddenly her mother enters the room. When she asks her what she is doing, she replies that she is sitting in the moonlit night looking at the stars, and Raina also tells her mother how beautiful the stars are. At first, Raina’s mother, Catherine, scolds her, saying how often have I told you not to stay up at night? Then again, in a soft tone, she says they have good news: their army has won the war in Serbia. Raina’s husband, whom Raina is married to, and her father served as army officers in the Serbian War of 1885s. Catherine tells Raina that her fiancé won the war because he had directly contributed to it. At this time, their female servant, Louka, suddenly entered the house. She is a wonderful young woman who does not want her beauty ruined by being treated like a maid. Louka tells Raina, ma’am, as there is a war going on outside and there is shooting, close your room’s windows well. Saying this, she goes to close the room window, and Raina tells him that you don’t have to close the room window. I will do it myself. Then Raina’s mother and Louka left the room. Raina is pleased because her fiancé has won this battle. In this happiness, she held a picture of Sergius in front of her and started talking to herself. While talking, Raina falls asleep and forgets to close the door and window of her room. 

The Chocolate Cream Soldier, Bluntschli’s Entry, and Raina’s Helping: In the middle of the night, she is awakened by a sudden sound. She finds a soldier, Bluntschli, entering her room wearing dirty clothes. Seeing the soldier’s eyes in her eyes, the soldier shows the gun to Raina and tells her not to scream. I will not do anything for you. Are you afraid of me? Raina then replies what do you think? I am so scared of you. At this time, Louka knocks on the door and says madam has someone entered your room? Neighbors are saying that a Serbian soldier has entered your room. Kindly open the door. I have some soldiers with me, and they want to search your room. Hearing this, the soldier who entered Raina’s room gets scared. Raina then reassures him and hides him in a place inside the room. By this, the soldiers who come to search the room do not find anyone. While leaving, Louka suddenly finds a gun in Raina’s room and realizes someone must have entered the room. However, they go out of the room.

Then, the soldier comes out and tells Raina he is a Swiss soldier. He also reports that 8 out of 10 people fighting in this war do not know why they are fighting. And they do not even know with whom they are fighting. The soldier tells Raina that he takes chocolate instead of ammunition when he goes to war and that his gun has no bullets. Hearing these words, Raina slowly starts to like the soldier and thinks that she will not let this soldier come to any harm as they have a lot of influence there. Raina then goes out of the room to tell her mother everything, and later, Raina and her mother return to find the soldier asleep in Raina’s bed. Then Raina’s mother brings a coat of Raina’s father, lets the soldier wear it so that no one recognizes him, and runs away with the coat. Meanwhile, Raina gives a portrait of her in the coat pocket.

Sergius’ Attraction for Louka: A few months pass, and Raina’s father and her fiancé return home after the war. Raina is pleased to see her fiancé Sergius. They both talk nicely to each other while sitting in the garden, but their relationship is only a show. Sergius likes Louka. When Raina leaves, Sergius grabs Louka’s hand and tries to kiss her. Louka then becomes emotionally overcome and asks Sergius if he can marry her. Sergius replies that he wants to marry Louka, but the problem is Rana’s marriage. Then suddenly Raina comes there, and Sergius and Louka pretend that nothing happened between them. But Raina can at least understand that something is going on between them. 

2nd Time Bluntschli’s Entry: Suddenly, one day, a man visits their house, and Raina and her mother recognize him as they help to escape the man. He comes here to fix some papers about the war. He also brings the coat. Raina’s father sees the man and says Hey, Captain Bluntschli! Come, come in! This entertains him very much and introduces Raina and her mother to the fact that this man is sincere and reasonable. Seeing Bluntschli after a long time, Raina likes him very much and falls in love with her heart. They sit and talk about the portrait of Raina in the coat pocket. Bluntschli says that he did not see the portrait. Raina gets hurt to hear this. Suddenly, Sergius comes in and asks what is happening between you two. Did you hide this person during the war and help him escape? Then Raina tells him that she has seen him, too, pulling Louka’s hand after the marriage is fixed with her. The two consider the situation where Raina likes Bluntschli, and Sergius wants Louka. So, they marry the person they choose without thinking about anything else. 

However, Raina’s family does not object to her marriage as Bluntschli has a good hotel business in addition to being a soldier. This is how this drama ends.

Moral Lesson: The moral lesson of “Arms and the Man” is that idealizing war and heroism closes our eyes to the true nature of humanity and the importance of genuine qualities over superficial attributes.