waiter. Moreover, the word ‘defenceless’ suggests the state Sassoon would be in if he
announced his sexuality but the ‘stiff collar’ could represent the way Sassoon hides
In addition, Sassoon’s relationship with Graves could also be a hint at his
homosexuality. The way Graves calls Sassoon ‘Sass’ suggests a closeness between
the two men and Graves is very compassionate towards Sassoon as he wants to
protect him from getting court marshalled. The relationship between Sassoon and
Graves has a strong impact on the readers understanding of the novel showing how
soldier’s attitudes towards other men changed during the war as they had reliance
upon the men who shared similar experiences.
Moreover, the conversations between Rivers and Sassoon give us a clear
understanding of the way homosexuality was looked at during the war.
his sexuality from the outside world. Barker uses the prolific amount of
Doctor/Patient interviews throughout the novel to present different views to
homosexuality. These interviews create a safe environment for Sassoon to present his
views, although in a somewhat guarded fashion and Graves and Rivers seem to
embrace Sassoon’s sexuality although try not to talk about it to an extent and
encourage him to be subtle. Rivers talks of the ‘wrong’ type of love and advises
Sassoon not to make his sexuality public as it could damage his reputation as well as
demoralise his protest against the war. He declares “there’s nothing more despicable
then using a mans private life to discredit his views” The word ‘despicable’ that
Rivers uses in this sentence suggests his anger towards the way society chains
someone’s social life with their views and shows that although he disapproves of the
way society thinks about such things, it is the way society is and neither of them can
change that. The conversations that Rivers and Sassoon have debating Sassoon’s
sexuality show trust and respect between the two men and help the reader understand
the way relationships grew between the men at Craiglockhart Hospital. As the novel
goes on it shows more and more about the discrimination against homosexuality in
1917. In chapter seven Graves tells Sassoon about a homosexual boy who was being
sent to a psychiatrist to be ‘cured’ of his sexuality and this is easy to believe as you
get to know the character of Rivers throughout the novel and Barker presents him to
be a kind hearted man and very willing to help his patients. This story helps the reader
understand the controversial issue of homosexuality and ‘Regeneration’ helps us
understand the issues that was widely absent from literature at the time.
The novel also shows how the men felt a connection with each other
during the war. Barker explores how Sassoon felt guilt when he thought about
‘various people clutching holes in their heads and waving their stumps’, in other
words his men, this has a large impact on the reader due to the fact that Sassoon only
knew these people as his men and not necessarily as friends or family etc, but he still
felt an overwhelming guilt for them as he isn’t at war and he feels like he should be
fighting along side them and feeling their pain. Moreover, this shows that the
relationships between men strengthened during war due to the sharing of experiences
and understanding towards each other and helps us understand why many men got so
attached to each other whilst fighting along side each other and why many men
became closer during the war then they ever had done before. Furthermore, the
relationship between officers and their men is shown throughout the novel and shows
a completely different kind of relationship that the men could have. Sassoon’s
relationship with his men is described as the ‘right’ kind of love as it is more of a
fatherly love. Graves reveals to Rivers that Sassoon’s men looked up to him and
‘worshipped’ him, the word ‘worship’ suggests that they saw Sassoon as somewhat
God-like and shows another perspective of relationships between men during the war.
By showing this form of relationship in contrast with homosexuality which was
frowned upon helps the reader understand that there were many different types of love
changing and forming between men during the war and it is easier to understand the
different relationships between the men at Craiglockhart.
Moreover, another relationship explored at Craiglockhart hospital was the non-
fictional relationship of Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. “Owen was standing at his elbow
almost like a junior officer” The way it suggests that Owens body language suggested
that of a junior officer is interesting in analysing the relationship between Owen and
Sassoon as in reality they were the same rank. In addition, another description of the
way Owen looks up to Sassoon is his stuttering, “j-j-just”, which suggests how
nervous Owen is when talking to Sassoon. At first, Sassoon is quite stand-offish
towards Owen but as the novel progresses we see Sassoon’s slightly softer side as he
helps Owen and this helps the reader understand Sassoon’s character slightly better.
Furthermore, the relationship between Owen and Sassoon emphasises how the
patients helped each other in the recovery process and it helps the reader have a
greater understanding of the regeneration process.
Also, the relationship between Sarah and Billy helps us understand how although the
relationship between men got stronger, the relationships between men and women
grew weaker throughout the war. “I know what I want, what’s wrong with that”, the
way Billy uses this blunt tone with Sarah suggests that he doesn’t really care for her.
He wants sex and she provides it – this was a common feeling of men returning from
war as they believed that they had done their duty in the trenches and it was now the
women’s turn to do their duty. This also suggests that many men were not
appreciative of what the women did to help during the war. Moreover, this
emphasises that as the men and woman’s relationships worsened, the men’s
relationships got stronger. Furthermore, Billy find it hard to talk to Sarah, “He didn’t
know what to make of her… they [women] seemed to have changes so much during
war.” This shows a division between men and women’s relationships and helps the
reader understand the message that Barker is trying to put across, that men and
women became almost separated during the war. “She belonged to the pleasure
seeking crowds. He both envied and despised her, and was quite coldly determined to
get her. They owed him something. All of them, and she should pay.” The malicious
tone that Billy uses portrays the loathing soldiers had towards the women who had not
been through what they had been through although it was not their fault. When it says
“determined to get her” it suggests that Billy is using Sarah for his own gain but it
does become clear as the novel progresses that Billy is not using Sarah only for sex
but also part of his healing process. Their relationship helps the reader understand the
divide between men and women and how the men came together to push many
women away, and this suggests the strengthening in relationships between men.
In conclusion, Barker presents love through different relationships throughout the
novel. The relationships give the reader an understanding of the strengthening in
relationships between men throughout the war. I believe that the relationship between
Owen and Sassoon is the most powerful relationship to help the reader understand the
comradeship and father like ways soldiers had on each other and how the
relationships that soldiers had in Craiglockhart were vital as part of the recovery
process for each other and how much men’s relationships improved during the war.
(1,598 words)
