In what ways does Barker present ideas about madness and sanity in Regeneration? How does the way in which these themes are presented affect your understanding of the novel?

Throughout the novel 'Regeneration' Barker explores what madness and sanity really are and whether anyone can be classed as truly sane or insane. She also raises the issue of madness being a derogatory term, a kind of social construct used to identify those who don't conform to society's expectations, and questions whether this is the right term to use when people are psychologically traumatised, or even in a wider context. She does this through exploring the characters' reactions to stress, examining the characters' opinions, and through the doctors' differing treatment of their patients.

The novel is based around Craiglockhart hospital, where men who were suffering from psychological trauma caused by the war were sent. Barker was able to use the characters, Sassoon and Burns in particular, to explore her ideas about madness and sanity. Both characters appear at first to present stereotypical responses to trauma: Burns responds in a manner which would be classified as “mad”, while Sassoon has an apparently “saner” response.

Burns is a young man who cannot eat due to being thrown head-first onto a German corpse while at the frontline; every time he attempts to do so “that taste and smell [of decomposing human flesh] reoccurred”. Barker repeatedly emphasises how Burns' suffering dehumanises him. At one point he leaves the hospital and sits naked under a tree surrounded by dead animals. The animals are referred to as his “companions” and under the tree is “where he had wanted to be”. Both quotations indicate that Burns can no longer identify with humans, but instead with animals and also with the idea of death; he perhaps feels more dead than alive. This can be interpreted as a kind of madness: Burns is not behaving in a way which would be considered at all 'normal' by the majority of society. However, Barker questions our assumptions by showing us that Burns is capable of lucid, complex thought. When talking to Rivers he says that “'somebody had to imagine that death'” , referring to crucifixion, showing that he is able to recognise man's inhumanity to man and presumably relate it to his own experiences. Barker is directly asking the audience whether Burns is really “mad” or not and crucially, making a statement about how quickly people are judged by society as a whole.

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In contrast, Sassoon appears to present a “sane” response to trauma but is actually far more complex than this. He is regarded as the epitome of his class; he has been awarded a Military Cross for “conspicuous gallantry” and is the receiver of “admiring glances” wherever he goes. Yet Sassoon has merely repressed his experiences: his composed front at times gives way to hallucinations of “'corpses in Piccadilly'” and poetry which is characterised by bitter tones and gruesome images of “young faces bleared with blood”. This suggests that Sassoon is far more deeply affected by his experiences than would first be imagined: they seem to haunt his unconscious, leading us to believe that Barker is once again indicating that we should question our first impressions of his character. Barker also seems to be making a further point that “madness”, or psychological abnormalities, can affect anyone, of any sector of society, a point which tends to be ignored by society's desire to marginalise those who are termed “mad”.

Barker also uses the character's opinions to display her ideas on madness and sanity. The characters appear to be aware of how others see them and are aware of the stigma attached to their conditions. Sassoon refers to the hospital as “'the loony bin'”, showing a degree of self-disgust for being labelled alongside those who he believes genuinely are insane. He is also speaking ironically, however, as he is aware that not everyone is the hospital is a “'loony'”. The quotation suggests that there is a prejudice against those in such hospitals: we know from the vivid characterisation which runs throughout the novel that the characters are anything but one-dimensional lunatics, yet the public of the time (and to a degree now) insists on regarding them as such. Barker once again appears to be making a comment on the public's perception of mental hospital patients, encouraging the reader to realise that these people are not just “loonies” but people too, with their own lives and personalities.

Barker also uses Sarah's comment to Prior, when he realises that she knows he is from Craiglockhart, to show that “madness” and “sanity” are mere labels. Sarah says “'... if you're getting yourself worked up about that don't bother.'”. Her casual tone suggests that this is not really an issue for her; she sees beyond the stereotype and is aware that this does not necessarily make Prior radically different from any other young man. However, at this stage their relationship is mainly physical: perhaps his mental state does not matter much to her because she is only interested in him for his body, not for any deeper connection. Given, though, how their relationship develops into what can perhaps be termed “love”, it seems unlikely that Sarah does not see Prior's mental state as an obstacle. We can certainly infer that Barker is intending this to be a point of interest: Sarah is intended to be an example of what we should be like, someone who is accepting of faults but can also see past these. She is also an example of the changing perception of “madness” which was emerging during the early twentieth century; this is also shown through Rivers' treatment of the patients.

Another technique Barker uses is the juxtaposition of Yealland's harsh methods of treatment with Rivers' far gentler treatment which focusses around talking. Yealland's treatments using electrocution blur the line between medicine and torture; he tells one patient that “'you can speak but I will not listen to anything you have to say'”, showing his belief that his patients are of very little value as human beings. This contrasts starkly with Rivers, who serves afternoon tea to patients as it “[makes] so many neurological tests redundant”. Unlike Yealland Rivers does not seek power over patients but meets them on an equal footing, regarding them as people rather than conditions, although at times, such as when dealing with Prior, Rivers also demands respect from his patients. The act of taking tea together would no doubt create a friendly atmosphere and also shows that Rivers is keen to avoid anything, like neurological tests, which would be stressful. Unlike Yealland he is sensitive to the needs of his patients and does not wish to intimidate them. Yealland also says to Rivers that “'the last thing these patients need is a sympathetic audience'”. He seems to believe that his patients are deliberately being awkward and that to sympathise with them would be to spoil them. A sympathetic audience is precisely what Rivers provides; he engages in long conversations with his patients, exploring the roots of their problems in a gentle manner. Here Barker highlights differing attitudes to mental illness and “madness” and “sanity”; one focussed on the person, the other on the condition. She exposes the inhumanity which occurs when the fact that all people are equal is forgotten and replaced with a label in what is probably her most blatant decrial of these views within the novel.

Within Regeneration Barker makes the overarching point that we are all human, no matter our mental state. By reinforcing this throughout Barker suggests that psychological trauma is a far better term to use, as it does not have the connotations that “madness” does. She encourages the reader to question how terms like “madness” are used to dehumanise and alienate their subject. Additionally she appears to say that there is no such thing as “madness” or “sanity”, and through her exploration of Sassoon and Burns' mental states makes the point that no one can be truly sane or insane. Barker also acknowledges that society and history shape individuals; by labelling someone “mad”, she argues, this complex process is ignored and reduced to a label. Regeneration is a novel which is about our shared humanity; sanity is only one aspect of this, yet it is an important strand which impacts upon all other aspects of the novel, such as Sarah and Prior's romance and the questions raised about the morality of war.

Word count: 1427.