An Odor of Verbena

“Turnaround” is one of W. Faulkner’s best stories about the First World War. In his narration, Faulkner touches on two main themes of his work and life—the American South and the First World War. After all, he spent most of his life in the South, and to take part in the First World War Faulkner even studied to become a pilot—but he never got to fight in the war. The story describes a small fragment of war that is, to a degree, somewhat anecdotal, but through that anecdote you can see all the horrors of wartime.

In the story, Faulkner pits two characters who are very unlike each other against each other. Captain Bogart, an American pilot, is very rational, while the British midshipman Hope is a frivolous boy playing at war.

After they meet, each of them takes part in the military operation of their new companion. The Englishman, in an American aircraft, flies on a night raid on Berlin, while the American, in a British motorboat, patrols one of the routes of German warships.

“Turnaround” is a title with a double meaning. On one hand, it is an action the motorboat must perform so as not to blow up on its own mine. On the other hand, it is the change that happened in Bogart’s worldview.