Peaky Blinders, meaning “In the middle of a freezing winter”
During the arc of the six seasons of which it is composed Peaky Blinders we often hear the Shelby brothers repeat the phrase In the middle of a freezing winter. However until the last episode we have no idea of the origin of these words. Well these refer to a moment that changed forever the life of Tommy Shelby and associates. We are obviously talking about the First World War and the oft-quoted trench battles in France.
In those desolate places full of death and horror, the soldiers were made to listen, in an attempt to keep spirits high, to a hymn created by Harold Darke in 1909 and based on the 1872 poem by Christina Rossetti, entitled precisely In the Bleak Midwinter (In the middle of a freezing winter).
These words were quoted during many of the climactic scenes Peaky Blinders like the one in which we see Polly, Michael Arthur and John about to be hanged or the one showing John’s funeral after his death at the hands of the Changretta gang. The poem was first heard, however, not at death, but at fake death of the brothers’ fellow soldier Shelby, Danny Whiz-bang. This is especially interesting as both Tommy and Danny knew the death was faked. In this case, it becomes clear that the poem In the Bleak Mid-Winter it is not only used in case of death in Peaky Blindersbut expresses a general concept of loss, as Danny Whizz-bang will not die, but will be removed from his home and his compatriots.
Interestingly, the poem (as an anthem) appears during Tommy and Grace’s wedding. While this seems in stark contrast to other uses of the poem throughout the series, used in this context, the poem could symbolize the death and rebirth of Tommy’s character through his marriage to Grace. Alternatively, the anthem may have been a harbinger of Grace’s death in the next episode.
Finally the poem is heard for the last time in the final minutes of the final episode of Peaky Blinders when Tommy is about to commit suicide.
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