What contribution does the chosen character (Hibbert) make to Journey's End?

   The play wright describes Hibbert as a coward who is isulated because of the fear which has almost taken over his life. There is a part in the script where Hibbert is pleading to Stanhope for him not to go up to the trenches, Hibbert said " I can't bear to go up in those awful trenches again -."

   Hibbert doesn't feel much about the main reason what war is for as he really thinks about what the next excuse he can use to get out of the next raid on Stanhope.

   When Hibbert is stressed he has no other option but to go to bed or get Stanhope to put pressure on him to make him go up to the front line.

The two scenes which portray Hibberts role in the play are associated with fear and what Hibbert can be like when he is enjoying himself. Firstly there is a scene where Stanhope is having arguements with Hibbert about not going on a raid as he is complaining that he has got neuralgia in his eye, and is trying to persuade Stanhope to let him go to the doctor and go home. They start to disagree with everything when Stanhope cant take anymore and takes hold of his revolver. This scene supports how Hibbert is portrayed because it shows that he can make up different excuses about why he does not want to go out on the front line. It shows that he does not think the war should be going on, or that he thinks that he should not be fighting at war in this way. This is because he can not face going out on the front line and possibly killing people. The scene shows that Hibberts character is full of fear, and that he has a very shy personality.

   The second scene is when they are having a party to celebrate the raid. Hibbert interupts the others and shows them pictures of ladies, then Hibbert yawns and Stanhope tells him to go to bed, as they have got a raid early in the morning. Then Stanhope yawns and Hibbert says "Well, you better go to bed!" This leads to an arguement between Hibbert and Stanhope. This scene shows that Hibbert does have the courage to argue back at other people which is very unusal as he does not normally do this. This means that Hibbert does have a stronger character than I first thought. It shows that whatever the situation he is not scared to answer back, as he does when he is told to go and fight on the front line.

   Overall I conclude that Hibbert makes a strong contribution to 'Journeys End.' Without Hibberts character people would just be made to fight in something they maybe did not want to do. His character makes the story line more interesting because he argues back at suggestions that are made. If Hibbert was not a character in 'Journeys End' all of the soldiers would have had to have gone to fight on the front line. Also we would not have seen the affects of war on an individual without Hibbert being portrayed as he was.