JOURNEY’S END PLANS
STANHOPE
Stanhope is used to showcase the detrimental effects of war. Although Stanhope
may be “tall and thin” the perfect build for a soldier, there is a sharp contrast
between his physical and psychological state which serves to highlight the
detrimental effects of war. Following the “blasted affair on Vimy Ridge” Stanhope
is left with “pallor under his skin and dark shadows under his eyes” – “pallor” and
dark shadows both connote the workaholic nature of Stanhope in which his
damaged psyche has started to erode him – presenting the degrading effects of
War is it exhibits the shell shock Stanhope is experiencing. Sherriff utilises
Stanhope’s dependency on alcohol (a displacement activity) to further amplify
the detrimental effect War has on young people. Stanhope’s alcoholism is
presented as a symptom of being in the War stating that’d without being “doped
with whisky – he’d go mad with fright”, through this medical imagery Sherriff
presents Whiskey as a cure for Stanhope’s shell shock, which reflects conditions
in WW1 where men where rather than sending men home for PTSD whiskey and
alcohol rations were used to ensure men kept fighting with Stanhope being
described as “drinking like fish”. The anthropomorphic simile emphasises
Stanhope’s dependency as it suggests that Stanhope needs alcohol like a fish
needs water – furthering this idea of alcohol as a cure for the degrading
conditions of war. This is emphasised through the juxtaposition between
Stanhope’s previous self who hit students with a “cricket stump” for being
caught with a “bottle of whisky” – clearly exemplifying the degrading effects of
War. Stanhope’s heavy reliance on alcohol is also referenced by the character of
Hardy who mentions earwig race: “an earwig … dipped in whisky”. The
animalistic microcosm of Stanhope’s need to be “doped with whisky” before
going to the front lines – reflects ideas of popular war-time poet Siegfried Sasson
who wrote about drinking to forget. It is clear that Stanhope has changed since
entering the war – clearly highlighting the detrimental effects of War.
Stanhope is presented as having the role of leadership and as a flawed hero.
Instantly, the audience becomes aware of Stanhope’s skill as a leader through
Osborne who describes him as the “best” stating that he would “go to Hell and
back” for him connoting not only Stanhope’s impressive leadership but the
loyalty and comradeship he instils in his men. Stanhope is used by Sherriff to
challenge the “lions led by donkeys” trope as he questions the Colonel’s tactics
for the impending spring offensive. The Colonel states that it is a “lovely day”
inadvertently referencing their impending doom showcasing the ignorance of
senior commanders on the front lines such as Sir Douglas Haig who earned the
title of Butcher of the Somme. The stark contrast between officers who were
experienced and members of offenses and colonels who were ignorant is used by
Sherriff to criticise the leadership of men in WW1 – reflected In Sherriff’s own
book “Public Schools in the War” where he stated that “men who landed on the
moon would be in better touch with Earth than Generals” . Sherriff utilises
Stanhope’s interactions with Raleigh to highlight the importance of heroism in
the war. Osborne’s states that “small boys at school generally have their
, JOURNEY’S END PLANS
heroes”. The use of the epithet “small boy” emphasises Raleigh’s juvenility and
the highlights Stanhope’s fear as his one of his youthful officer’s has to go on a
raid – this generates sympathy and amplifies Stanhope’s position as a good
leader. This idea of Stanhope being protective of Raleigh embodies Sherriff’s own
experiences of war as he took a fraternal role to another young officer ,
Chapman, and was deeply traumatised when he died.
Sherriff uses Stanhope to explore the futility of war. Initially Stanhope is
presented as an ideal soldier – who played rugby at public school and
volunteered to fight in the war. Government propaganda stated that by 1917
90% of Rugby Union players enlisted to fight reflecting Stanhope’s own
experience in the war. Stanhope’s initial encounter with Raleigh is a moment of
anagnorisis. This presents Raleigh as a foil to Stanhope exposing what Stanhope
has now become. Sherriff utilises the juxtaposition between Stanhope and
Raleigh to reflect past and present highlighting the futility of war as it is shown to
degrade men. Sherriff exemplifies this contrast is exemplified through Raleigh’s
“keen[ness]” to go on a raid and Stanhope going “mad with fright” without
“drinking” to expose the futility of War – as Raleigh like many young soldiers
would die for a meaningless cause. Sherriff also utilises the “worm” metaphor to
further highlight the futility of war. Stanhope questions how worms know “when
its going up or down” with the worms reflecting soldiers in the war and how they
are blindly following orders. This could be Sherriff reflecting on his own
experiences in the war during the battle of Passchendaele where he wrote that
soldiers received no communication on what to do. Stanhope is also infantilised
through the description of him being “tucked in” an image that mirrors a father
tucking in their son and reminding the audience that Stanhope is still a boy who
is sacrificing his life for a meaningless war – connoting the futility of War.
OSBORNE
Osborne is presented as an avuncular figure in the dugout. In Act 1 he ensures
that Stanhope is “tucked up”. Osborne helping the psychologically distraught
Stanhope after his existential crisis highlights his role as a paternalistic figure for
Stanhope as he prioritises others wellbeing over his own. Furthermore, the
phrase “tucking” infantilises Stanhope and emphasises Osborne’s paternalistic
character as it mirrors the image of a father tucking his son into bed. Prior to the
raid, Osborne’s avuncular nature is seen again. He states that he is glad “its you
and I – together” to Raleigh. Osborne place Raleigh ahead of him in the sentence
further creating this idea of Osborne protecting Raleigh. This idea Is prominent in
war propaganda which emphasises the value pf comradeship such as Jessie
Pope’s who’s for the game. Osborne sacrificed his life for Raleigh which was
ultimately in vain. Osborne being one of the only characters that dies, especially
in vain and due to his avuncular figure, could indicate that the morale and
backbone of the characters was gone, highlighted by the next scene, the party,
STANHOPE
Stanhope is used to showcase the detrimental effects of war. Although Stanhope
may be “tall and thin” the perfect build for a soldier, there is a sharp contrast
between his physical and psychological state which serves to highlight the
detrimental effects of war. Following the “blasted affair on Vimy Ridge” Stanhope
is left with “pallor under his skin and dark shadows under his eyes” – “pallor” and
dark shadows both connote the workaholic nature of Stanhope in which his
damaged psyche has started to erode him – presenting the degrading effects of
War is it exhibits the shell shock Stanhope is experiencing. Sherriff utilises
Stanhope’s dependency on alcohol (a displacement activity) to further amplify
the detrimental effect War has on young people. Stanhope’s alcoholism is
presented as a symptom of being in the War stating that’d without being “doped
with whisky – he’d go mad with fright”, through this medical imagery Sherriff
presents Whiskey as a cure for Stanhope’s shell shock, which reflects conditions
in WW1 where men where rather than sending men home for PTSD whiskey and
alcohol rations were used to ensure men kept fighting with Stanhope being
described as “drinking like fish”. The anthropomorphic simile emphasises
Stanhope’s dependency as it suggests that Stanhope needs alcohol like a fish
needs water – furthering this idea of alcohol as a cure for the degrading
conditions of war. This is emphasised through the juxtaposition between
Stanhope’s previous self who hit students with a “cricket stump” for being
caught with a “bottle of whisky” – clearly exemplifying the degrading effects of
War. Stanhope’s heavy reliance on alcohol is also referenced by the character of
Hardy who mentions earwig race: “an earwig … dipped in whisky”. The
animalistic microcosm of Stanhope’s need to be “doped with whisky” before
going to the front lines – reflects ideas of popular war-time poet Siegfried Sasson
who wrote about drinking to forget. It is clear that Stanhope has changed since
entering the war – clearly highlighting the detrimental effects of War.
Stanhope is presented as having the role of leadership and as a flawed hero.
Instantly, the audience becomes aware of Stanhope’s skill as a leader through
Osborne who describes him as the “best” stating that he would “go to Hell and
back” for him connoting not only Stanhope’s impressive leadership but the
loyalty and comradeship he instils in his men. Stanhope is used by Sherriff to
challenge the “lions led by donkeys” trope as he questions the Colonel’s tactics
for the impending spring offensive. The Colonel states that it is a “lovely day”
inadvertently referencing their impending doom showcasing the ignorance of
senior commanders on the front lines such as Sir Douglas Haig who earned the
title of Butcher of the Somme. The stark contrast between officers who were
experienced and members of offenses and colonels who were ignorant is used by
Sherriff to criticise the leadership of men in WW1 – reflected In Sherriff’s own
book “Public Schools in the War” where he stated that “men who landed on the
moon would be in better touch with Earth than Generals” . Sherriff utilises
Stanhope’s interactions with Raleigh to highlight the importance of heroism in
the war. Osborne’s states that “small boys at school generally have their
, JOURNEY’S END PLANS
heroes”. The use of the epithet “small boy” emphasises Raleigh’s juvenility and
the highlights Stanhope’s fear as his one of his youthful officer’s has to go on a
raid – this generates sympathy and amplifies Stanhope’s position as a good
leader. This idea of Stanhope being protective of Raleigh embodies Sherriff’s own
experiences of war as he took a fraternal role to another young officer ,
Chapman, and was deeply traumatised when he died.
Sherriff uses Stanhope to explore the futility of war. Initially Stanhope is
presented as an ideal soldier – who played rugby at public school and
volunteered to fight in the war. Government propaganda stated that by 1917
90% of Rugby Union players enlisted to fight reflecting Stanhope’s own
experience in the war. Stanhope’s initial encounter with Raleigh is a moment of
anagnorisis. This presents Raleigh as a foil to Stanhope exposing what Stanhope
has now become. Sherriff utilises the juxtaposition between Stanhope and
Raleigh to reflect past and present highlighting the futility of war as it is shown to
degrade men. Sherriff exemplifies this contrast is exemplified through Raleigh’s
“keen[ness]” to go on a raid and Stanhope going “mad with fright” without
“drinking” to expose the futility of War – as Raleigh like many young soldiers
would die for a meaningless cause. Sherriff also utilises the “worm” metaphor to
further highlight the futility of war. Stanhope questions how worms know “when
its going up or down” with the worms reflecting soldiers in the war and how they
are blindly following orders. This could be Sherriff reflecting on his own
experiences in the war during the battle of Passchendaele where he wrote that
soldiers received no communication on what to do. Stanhope is also infantilised
through the description of him being “tucked in” an image that mirrors a father
tucking in their son and reminding the audience that Stanhope is still a boy who
is sacrificing his life for a meaningless war – connoting the futility of War.
OSBORNE
Osborne is presented as an avuncular figure in the dugout. In Act 1 he ensures
that Stanhope is “tucked up”. Osborne helping the psychologically distraught
Stanhope after his existential crisis highlights his role as a paternalistic figure for
Stanhope as he prioritises others wellbeing over his own. Furthermore, the
phrase “tucking” infantilises Stanhope and emphasises Osborne’s paternalistic
character as it mirrors the image of a father tucking his son into bed. Prior to the
raid, Osborne’s avuncular nature is seen again. He states that he is glad “its you
and I – together” to Raleigh. Osborne place Raleigh ahead of him in the sentence
further creating this idea of Osborne protecting Raleigh. This idea Is prominent in
war propaganda which emphasises the value pf comradeship such as Jessie
Pope’s who’s for the game. Osborne sacrificed his life for Raleigh which was
ultimately in vain. Osborne being one of the only characters that dies, especially
in vain and due to his avuncular figure, could indicate that the morale and
backbone of the characters was gone, highlighted by the next scene, the party,
