Although usually Osborne helps and supports Stanhope, it is very evident that Stanhope has a great respect for Osborne, even though he may not openly admit it. When they arrive at the dugout, Stanhope is offered the better bed by Osborne; he refuses it on the grounds that Osborne “must have a little comfort in [his] old age”. By saying that, Stanhope indicates that he thinks that Osborne is superior to him and should therefore get the better bed.
The war has obviously made Stanhope quite mentally unstable, and at one point of the play he feels that he is losing his mind. He feels that he can no longer look at things in the same way. He is very disturbed by his “habit… to look right through things”. His feelings of vulnerability are revealed when he wonders “You don’t think I’m going potty, do you?” This also shows signs of paranoia, as he seems very insecure about his mental state.
As well as his mental instability, Stanhope becomes a very hard drinker, and so he needs Osborne to make sure he does not become too aggressive or violent when he has had too much to drink. Osborne pacifies him down, and takes him to his bed and makes him sleep. Someone has to calm him down and make him rest. He feels has too much to do and he scorns “catch me wasting my time with sleep”. But even if he thinks sleep is a waste of time, he is still human and therefore still needs to rest. It is Osborne who keeps Stanhope from going over the edge into both a mental and physical breakdown.
Stanhope uses drink to cope, as he explains to Raleigh “To forget, you little fool - to forget”. This is a gross change from the old Stanhope who gave some boys “a dozen each with a cricket stump” because he found them drinking whisky in school. Now, he himself has a reputation for his drinking capabilities, Sherriff shows this through Hardy’s main image of Stanhope a man who is always “drinking like a fish”. Along with the strains of war, Stanhope cannot cope with his sudden addiction to drink, and he starts to hate himself for it.
Due to his self-loathing, Stanhope needs someone to reassure him that his state is only due to the strains of the war. His lack of confidence is evident in his fear of mixing home life and his life in the trenches. He is very apprehensive about what Raleigh will think of him, and how he will react to the changed Stanhope that he will encounter in the trenches in comparison to the “skipper of Rugger at Barford”. He is very worried that Raleigh will write to his sister to whom Stanhope is not “officially engaged” and tell her about the Stanhope he can see in the trenches, the drunkard. And because of his neurotic self-hatred he feels constantly threatened as he thinks that everyone thinks the worst of him. He does not realise that his men see past his drinking habits and they “simply love him” and respect him for his courage, and sense of duty.
In the exchange when Stanhope reveals his misgivings about Raleigh, Osborne comforts Stanhope and tries to help him rationalise his fears about Raleigh. His fatherly side emerges here again in his abating of Stanhope’s fears and insecurities. He tries to comfort him, and explains that “he’ll realise that men are different out [there]”. He shows his background as a family man and as a schoolmaster when he discusses Raleigh’s “hero-worship” as he shows a good understanding of Raleigh’s nature. His experience of such things from when he was a schoolmaster, gives him some authority on the subject. He tells Stanhope that he thinks that there is “something very deep and fine about hero-worship” as he tries to emphasize to positive aspects of it.
As commanding officer Stanhope always has a lot on his mind, as he has a huge responsibility on his shoulders. This means that he will not always be equipped to handle the petty details involved in the day-to-day running of the dugout, and so he relies heavily on Osborne to handle the small incidents such as the “pineapple chunks”.
Osborne also takes care of all the others in the dug out, helping them with their problems. This means that Stanhope has one less thing to worry about. Osborne is the one who welcomes Raleigh and listens to Mason’s petty, little worries. He is the one who manages the conversations and steers the conversation off morbid topics to things such as sport, which are light hearted. This is very helpful for Stanhope, as handling people gently with care and sympathy does not appear to be one of his strengths in the play until very near the end. This leaves him free to handle his own emotions, and all the other matters he must address.
Stanhope trusts Osborne very openly in the play, but in the scene before the raid, it is evident that Osborne also trusts Stanhope. He leaves his most important possessions from the trenches, his watch, his ring and a letter, with Stanhope with the confidence that they will be safely passed onto his wife if he dies. Stanhope replies in a very cheery fashion, almost as if he were trying to convince himself that Osborne would come back. The intimacy of their relationship is almost tangible in that scene as they are both trying not to accept what they know is so likely that it is almost inevitable. At this point, Stanhope openly admits that he needs Osborne when he says “what on earth should I do without you”. Both of them try to make a joke of the situation, hoping that it will stop the reality mattering.
One of the most telling lines in the whole play about the importance of their relationship comes after the raid, when Raleigh is sitting on Osborne’s bed, and Stanhope cannot handle this and so he says “Must you sit on Osborne’s bed?” This shows how important Osborne is to Stanhope and how badly Stanhope has been affected by his death. There is a grave irony in the fact that, when Raleigh is injured, Stanhope takes him straight to Osborne’s bed. This shows that Stanhope has accepted Osborne death. Also, after Osborne’s death, Stanhope seems to try to take over his role in the dugout.
Nothing is held back between Stanhope and Osborne, and there is a complete feeling of security within them. Stanhope, the harsh, reserved, duty minded captain, only becomes the young twenty-two year old boy that he is, in the presence of Osborne. He feels that he can be himself without fear of his authority being undermined due to Osborne’s unwavering commitment to him. Stanhope feels secure enough to reveal that he too has someone waiting for him, like the millions of other young men in the trenches. He shows that he too is vulnerable and weak, like all of the others. Stanhope respects Osborne, and treats him, not as a second in command, but as an equal. Osborne is very attached to Stanhope, and cares a great deal about him. Being a schoolmaster, he understands the problems Stanhope has to bear at his very young age, and tries to support him.
Stanhope and Osborne have a friendship and trust that is unparalleled in the dugout. Their friendship is based on mutual trust, acceptance and respect. There is an unconditional bond of care and affection between them, which is impregnable. Osborne expresses his obvious devotion of Stanhope when he say tells Hardy that “I love that fellow. I’d go to hell with him.” It is highly ironic, that at the end, Osborne does go to a “hell” for Stanhope in making that raid and dieing, for him.
SHIVANI SINGHAL BUTLER-LVV ENGLISH-MR. FORBES
What is the contrast being made?