Journey's End - Explore the ways in which Sherriff makes this such a dramatic and revealing moment in the play.

    Additionally, Sherriff’s short questions create a revealing moment. Stanhope ‘look[s] hard’ and asks ‘Well, Hibbert?’. Stanhope’s bitter and blunt use of ‘well’, again highlights Stanhope’s hatred for Hibbert. But, creates a negative image of Stanhope due to his unjustified unfairness at this moment. This adds to the characterisation of Stanhope as it shows the audience the mental turmoil he has undergone on the frontline for him to be this bitter. This is supported by the later events where Stanhope gets drunk and Osborne is made to put him to bed as it demonstrates how Stanhope copes with the war through alcohol. Sheriff therefore creates a revealing moment here, and illustrates the theme of war.

    This theme of war is again explored through coping mechanisms. Stanhope tells Hibbert to ‘get tight’. By Stanhope advising Hibbert to get drunk, he tells the audience his own coping mechanism. This reveals to the audience the stresses Stanhope is under for him to turn to alcohol. In addition, it illustrates how the alcohol gives courage to Stanhope by escaping the reality of the war through the effects of alcohol. The introduction of the play supports this and begins with Hardy telling Osborne that Stanhope ‘drinks like a fish’. This suggests that Stanhope cannot survive without alcohol in a similar manner to how a fish cannot survive without water. Sheriff uses this coping mechanism of escaping the reality of war to highlight and reveal the awful conditions of war.

    Sherriff’s use of hesitation creates a dramatic moment. Stanhope tells Osborne that the men are ‘going to take an equal chance - together’. The stage directed pause for effect slows the pace and thus emphasises ‘together’. This shows the audience the patriotic nature of war where everybody is united in their efforts. Sherriff uses this to make it even more evident how cowardly Hibbert is and therefore creates dramatic tension and conflict with Stanhope. This dramatic moment is pivotal in the play in order to contrast Hibbert’s cowardice with Raleigh’s heroism. Even in death, Raleigh wants to continue fighting - ‘I feel rotten lying here’.