“Nostalgia” update

I am way overdue for a Nostalgia teaser, so let’s talk about Peleg.

Captain/Major Peleg Anthony is Jim’s nemesis, and he represents the larger antagonistic force of the US Military in the Civil War which refused to recognize PTSD–what they called “nostalgia”–as a legitimate disorder. Back then, men who exhibited signs of “battle fatigue”, both mental and physical, were branded as “malingerers” and sent back to the front line.

Peleg Anthony is all-army. He rigidly adheres to the rules and sees no reason to bend them for anyone. He resents the fact that Jim disagrees. Peleg is arrogant and priveleged. A graduate of the military academy, he believes he knows all there is to know about battle. But he and Jim cross swords right from the beginning when Peleg struts into the 111th headquarters to sign the roster as Captain of Company H, looks down his nose at the young men waiting to enlist and says, “What are you looking at, Privates? Never seen an educated man before?”

He is also more like Jim than either one of them would like to admit. Jim is socially awkward. He projects an air of arrogance to hide his insecurity, and is terrifed that someone will see through that mask. He sees the success of his older siblings and feels the pressure: what if he falls flat on his face?

Peleg is all of those things, too. He hides behind the protection of his affluent family and their name, believing that will hide his faults and raise him through the ranks regardless of his abilities. That moustache might make you think he’s a Snidely Whiplash type of character; he remind me of a nineteenth century Frank Burns. Either way, he thinks he’s “all that” and everyone’s hoping he gets his comeuppance ASAP.

When Jim stands up for his “nostalgia” patients, Anthony threatens to bring charges. But medical complaints must go to the Surgeon General, not the Army brass, and for now, the Surgeon General is on Jim’s side.

But how long will that support last? And what will happen when Jim has to take a stand?