Sherriff employs many dramatic devices in order to reinforce the two sides to Stanhope, the alcoholic, quick-tempered side being due to war. He does this from the very beginning of the play where Stanhope's drinking problem is foreshadowed in the conversation between Hardy and Osborne, "Not a drunkard; just a hard drinker…his nerves… are all to blazes." Osborne is quick to challenge Hardy's opinion and states that Stanhope is "the best company commander". However when Stanhope's first physically enters the play, the first thing he says to Mason is "Damn the soup! Bring some whisky!" this simple command confirms to the audience that Stanhope is an alcoholic, so immediately they begin to question Osborne's opinion creating some tension. Additionally, in my opinion, the whisky becomes an iconic representation of Stanhope's deterioration throughout the play, as whenever he is at his lowest he appears to be drinking. Also the whisky finishes just after the raid in which Osborne dies "the last bottle!" this is symbolic that not even whisky will provide the escape from reality Stanhope desires.
Dramatic visualization is used by Sherriff to highlight the contrast in Stanhope's appearance "although tanned… there is a pallor under his skin and dark shadows under his eyes", he is "tall, slimy built" a distinct difference to his companion the "short and fat" Trotter, even his uniform is contrasting as although it is "old and war-stained" it is "well cut and cared for". The use of contrast about appearance, companions, and clothing connotes the idea that war has affected Stanhope to such a degree that even inanimate objects such as his uniform show this. Furthermore it could also suggest that his 'other side' will never leave or change - it is incurable and has taken over everything even his clothing.
Sherriff shows a change in Raleigh throughout the play. The stage directions "nervously", "gingerly" "awkwardly", and "hastily" when Raleigh is first introduced help portray how Raleigh's character was very naïve and childlike at the beginning. However after Osborne's death in the raid Raleigh appears to have lost all faith and optimism that he once had, he cannot even eat and shouts at Stanhope, his senior, "Good God! Don't you understand?" Raleigh can't comprehend how the men "can sit there and drink champagne" when somebody close to them has died. He looks to Stanhope for reassurance however he doesn't receive it, this reinforces again how much Stanhope has changed he is no longer "old Dennis" who was "terrific pals" with Raleigh, now he has become simple and plain Stanhope who only wants "to forget". The scene ends with the "impatient grumble of gunfire that never dies away." I think that this pathetic fallacy may have been personified to suggest how the soldiers are impatient to avenge Osborne's death or that the guilt and memories, such as that Raleigh experiences, "never dies away" like the sound of the guns or even that Stanhope's anger is so strong that it is reflected in the atmosphere.
Hibbert is another character who has been affected by war, he dreads going up into the trenches and longs to go home as he is too cowardly to faces the realities of the situation. He has been affected by war to the point that he has become "Another little worm trying to wriggle home". His supposed neuralgia is his means to escape; this shows that Hibbert is in denial, as by pretending to the others that he is unwell he is trying to convince himself that war isn't affecting him psychologically, that he is injured like any other soldier. His true feelings are shown in his confrontation with Stanhope; he even "raises his stick and strikes blindly at Stanhope" a crime for which he could be shot ad Stanhope is a superior officer. This action reveals the level to which he feels he "shall die of this pain". I think that Sherriff shows Hibbert in a negative light, which is why I don't think his main aim was to show the futility of war as if this was the case Hibbert would probably have received a much more sympathetic response. I think it is comradeships and loyalty that Sherriff was trying to portray, showing hoe Stanhope is noble as he doesn't just shoot Hibbert but gives him as chance to change his mind. I think Sherriff has taken this slant as the play would have been acted in 1928, so the audience would probably included soldiers who had fought in the war, the majority holding the view that fighting for your country is an obligation and any attempt to escape that is cowardice and should be punished.
To conclude I think that throughout 'Journeys End' Sherriff has effectively used many dramatic devices such as stage directions to illustrate the effects of the war on the men involved very realistically. It paints a clear picture for the audience of what it was like in the trenches, and how the men were affected by war.
