What makes the fear intensify is the perpetual boredom. It’s hard for the men to talk, let alone think of anything but the war. Due to this, food is a frequent topic of conversation. Even though it isn’t good quality it is a highlight of the men’s day and therefore one of the only things they can look forward to in the day apart from going home. On page 19, we see how bad the quality the food is when Mason doesn’t even know what flavour the soup he has made is, as when asked, he replies “It’s yellow soup, sir” They then continue to talk about the soup for a while which emphasizes how there is so little to talk about which they can all relate to without bringing up the subject of the war.
Something which becomes apparent in ‘Journey’s End’ is the distance between the upper ranks and the soldiers in the front line. Many of the generals who weren’t in the front line didn’t realise the terrible conditions that the lower-ranked soldiers in the front line were living in. Even the generals who did realise the poor conditions probably didn’t care. This may be because many of these upper ranks didn’t see the soldiers as people, merely as numbers which could be spared if they were killed. We see this on page 53 when the Colonel suggests Raleigh should do the raid even though he would have only been in the trenches for two nights. Stanhope tries to persuade the colonel otherwise by saying “He’s awfully new to it all” and “ it’s rotten to send a fellow who’s only just arrived.” The Colonel doesn’t change his mind though, which shows how he doesn’t have feelings for Raleigh. The same thing happens after the raid when Stanhope tells the Colonel that Osbourne has been killed. The Colonel says sorry, but in such a way which suggests he doesn’t really mean it.
On page 4 is another example of how upper ranks didn’t care about the front line soldiers. Hardy is handing over the position to Osbourne and is going through the list of equipment. Hardy explains to Osbourne how the trench has 34 gum boots, 25 right leg and 9 left leg. This shows the bad organisation of the equipment which is probably due to the higher ranks who get the equipment not caring for the welfare of the lower-ranked officers and soldiers.
Strong relationships are often made in the trenches due to the close contact with people and crowded living conditions. The relationships between Osbourne and the rest of the company appear to be fairly strong. Osbourne is seen as a father figure to the men. We see this on page 31 when Osbourne has told Stanhope to go to sleep and as Stanhope is fairly drunk and disinhibited he says “Dear old Uncle. Tuck me up.” From this line we can see how Stanhope especially depends on Osbourne to look after him when it was hard for him to stay sane. Stanhope, like the other officers, calls Osbourne ‘uncle’ This is another way Sherriff has shown the fatherly figure of Osbourne.
Stanhope is most shook up about Osbourne’s death, we see this on page 91 after Raleigh has eaten with the soldiers instead of the other officers, Stanhope is talking about Osbourne. “The only man I could trust – my best friend – the only man I could talk to as man to man – who understood everything” It is at this point in the play that we see the intensity of the relationship between Stanhope and Osbourne. Also, when Osbourne dies, it really brings to life how it could happen to anybody, nobody was safe. We can see this relationship from Osbourne’s view as well on page 7 after Hardy has been accusing Stanhope of being a drunk, Osbourne is sticking up for him. “You don’t know him as I do; I love that fellow, I’d go to hell with him.” We see how people who don’t know Stanhope personally make accusations because of how he is always drinking. Even though he is only drinking because he has been in the front line for longer than everybody and it’s the only way he can cope. The people who really know him can see through his drinking problem, to see the reasons behind it. They can see how loyal and brave Stanhope is, and how compassionate about his job he is.
We can also see how much relationships can change in trench warfare from ‘Journey’s End.’ When Raleigh first enters the dug out we learn that Stanhope and Raleigh knew each other before the war and were on first name terms then, but when Stanhope and Raleigh meet for the first time in the trench Stanhope isn’t at all welcoming and doesn’t seem happy that Raleigh is in his regiment. A reason why Stanhope was so unwelcoming to Raleigh may have been because he is scared Raleigh will write home and tell his sister, who is waiting for Stanhope, that Stanhope is a drunk and can only survive on the front line if he’s doped with whisky so can’t feel the pain. Stanhope is convinced this is the case so he decides to censor Raleigh’s letters. It is only after Osbourne has decided read Raleigh’s letter to Stanhope on page 47 that Stanhope realises he is overreacting and Raleigh respects him tremendously.
Stanhope says that Raleigh hero-worships him but we see another major cause for Stanhope being unwelcoming to Raleigh when he’s talking to Osbourne about him on page 27. “But it’s rather damnable for that boy – of all the boys in the world – to have come to me. I might at least have been spared that.” After having just said how there’s not a man left that was there when Stanhope arrived, I think Stanhope is saying he doesn’t want to see Raleigh die, like all the other men. This point really becomes apparent at the end of the play, just before Raleigh’s death. “Well Jimmy, you got one quickly” this shows how Stanhope really does feel for Raleigh as he is taking care of him. Also, Stanhope uses Raleigh’s first name, in it’s familiar form, for the first time in the play which shows the emotion as Stanhope knows it is very likely that Raleigh will die.
