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Discuss How Sherriff Presents Human Weakness and Frailty in Journeys End

Decent Essays

Discuss how Sherriff presents human weakness and frailty in Journeys End
Journeys End was written with the intention of “letting the war speak”. The lives of the officers on the front line during 1917 are examined. A key theme that is explored throughout the play is the reactions of the mind and body, under the stress of the war. Each character represents the weakness of the human being in an individual way, but the character on which frailty is mainly focussed is Stanhope.
Stanhope is the topic of many conversations within the dugout and the first conversation we see, Stanhope is mentioned. The conversation is between Osborne, the second in command, and the commanding officer of the company being relieved. The commander inquires as to …show more content…

Sherriff shows this to the audience by having Raleigh describe the war like a game at school, using words such as “cricket” and “rugger”, which show the youth, innocence and naivety of Raleigh. When the reality becomes clear, Raleigh’s attitude towards the war changes dramatically.

The death of Raleigh at the end of the play sums up his characteristics in the best possible way, his innocence is shown until his final moments when he compares the wound in his back to be “just the same” as getting “kicked” in a game of “rugger”. His death signifies much more than the passing of one soldier, added with Raleigh passing, the candle flame extinguishing, shows the death of society in 1917 and of innocence, showing how nothing could return to the way it was in the years previous to the war.

After the raid which occurs near the end of the play, Raleigh’s view on the war has changed after he witnesses the first deaths of people he knew. He questions as to how Stanhope can stay drinking “champagne” whilst Osborne’s body is “lying-out there”. Again this shows the audience just how naïve Raleigh is, as he has never experienced the loss of someone close to him and the effect that the war has on people.

Despite Raleigh’s innocence and weakness, he is determined to fight until the end, showing that his character (although naïve) has

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