Both Mr. Woodifield and the boss have experienced the death of a son during the war; however, death impacts each man differently. For Woodifield, knowing that his son’s grave is well tended in a beautiful cemetery with flowers and broad paths is a comfort. He has come to terms with death and moved on with his life. He approaches death as a tourist, visiting or revisiting the loss of his son but not dwelling there. He can move the conversation effortlessly on to the prices in Belgium, much like a tourist recounting his experiences with a place recently visited. Woodifield also speaks the name of his deceased son, Reggie, whereas the boss’s deceased son’s name is never spoken. Despite Woodifield’s outer physical weaknesses and sheltered existence, his son’s death did not result in his own spiritual death as it has for the boss.

For the boss, hearing about his son’s grave is a shock that causes a disturbing image: “It was exactly as though the earth had opened and he had seen the boy lying there with Woodifield’s girls staring down at him” (79). The boss has yet to come to terms with the ugly fact of his son’s death, despite the six years that have passed.