Non-combatants and Others

"Non-combatants and Others" by Rose Macaulay is a story that shows how regular people dealt with World War I from their homes. The story is mostly about Alix, a young artist trying to create art while war changes everything around her. We meet Alix as she draws a boy named Percival, which shows she is an artist, but also that she has some physical challenges. We learn her family includes her cousin John, a soldier hurt in battle, and their mother, busy helping with war efforts. The beginning creates a contrast between Alix's personal struggles with the war and how her family is dealing with it, setting the stage to look at what war does to people, being yourself, and what society expects from people.