Characters
A prayer's as good as bayonet on a day like this.
— Colour Sergeant Bourne • Zulu
Behind the line May contain spoilers.
Our reading
An editorial interpretation.
Facing a grim day, the speaker suggests that prayer counts for as much as a bayonet, since both are simply what one has to hold onto. The line can sound fatalistic, as though steel offers no better odds than faith, yet it also gives faith real weight beside the weapon.
Context reviewed