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MAN. I’ve no ammunition. What use are cartridges in battle? I always carry chocolate instead; and I finished the last cake of that yesterday.
RAINA. (outraged in her most cherished ideals of manhood). Chocolate! Do you stuff your pockets with sweets—like a schoolboy—even in the field?
MAN. Yes. Isn’t it contemptible?
This exchange, which occurs in Act I, serves as the origin for Bluntschli’s nickname, the “chocolate cream soldier,” and highlights his blasé attitude toward the war. Unlike Sergio, who yearns for the glory that he believes battle will bestow upon him, Bluntschli views fighting as a job to be done and nothing more. Keeping sweets with him instead of bullets reflects this unconcerned perspective and emphasizes the notion that going to war is not necessarily an act of heroism.
BLUNTSCHLI. I can’t help it. When you get into that noble attitude and speak in that thrilling voice, I admire you; but I find it impossible to believe a single word you say.
This line, which Bluntschli delivers in Act III, serves as a key turning point in his relationship with Raina. By directly challenging her “noble attitude,” Bluntschli is able to get Raina to let go of the romanticized façade she puts up and embrace her true personality. His ability to see through Raina’s performance, which is not unlike his ability to recognize the futility of war, emphasizes his identity as the most practical and genuine character in the play.
BLUNTSCHLI. (promptly). An incurably romantic disposition. I ran away from home twice when I was a boy. I went into the army instead of into my father’s business. I climbed the balcony of this house when a man of sense would have dived into the nearest cellar. I came sneaking back here to have another look at the young lady when any other man of my age would have sent the coat back—
Once the characters’ complex relationships with one another become public knowledge at the end of the play, Bluntschli offers this assessment as to why he assumes that Raina will not want to be with him. The most notable aspect of these lines is the fact that Bluntschli admits to having a romantic streak within him as well, a quality that he has attempted to suppress throughout a majority of the play. Through his character, Shaw is able to suggest that not all forms of idealism are inherently dangerous or misleading.
