Birdsong Conflict Essay
“Birdsong has to imagine mechanised slaughter. In the description of the first day of the Battle of the Somme, death comes so thick that the narrative cannot pause for individuals. “Bodies were starting to pile and clog the progress.” Stephen watches as a line of troops comes forward “in extended order” into the range of German machine guns, “which traversed them with studied care until every man had gone down in a diagonal line from first to last.””
Within the novel “Birdsong”, by Sebastian Faulks, there are many uses conflict. The main themes within conflict are physical devastation, psychological conflict and environmental devastation. These three themes are repeated numerous throughout the novel to portray the conflict which the protagonists, Stephen Wraysford and his granddaughter Elizabeth, experience.
Throughout the novel there are many examples of enviromental devastation, however one of the major contributors is the contrast of the River Somme post and during the battle. Initially the River Some, described by Stephen, is depicted as a pastoral, picturesque paradise in which Stephen resides whilst attempting and succeeding in seducing Isabelle, the major love affair of the novel. The description of the gardens having “quiet pools” and containing “wild flowers” in which they “lay beneath the branches of overhanging trees”, portrays the River Somme as a paradise however this contrasts the description of the Somme further in the Novel as it is commonly known to be a major battle of the first world war, and is described “the broken ground” and as a grey desolate wasteland in which the soldiers had to suffer and endure. David James stated that the River Somme was “the most infamous battle in British history…” and according to the depiction from Faulks I concur with James.
The passages in which Wraysford and his men are underground, especially when Stephen is trapped with Jack Firebrace and is then rescued from certain death, are similar if not reminiscent of Wilfred Owen’s “Strange Meeting”. In this poem, Owen portrays an encounter between two soldiers from opposite armies, effectively enemies to each other. The two personas essentially meet in hell, although it is described as an underground tunnel, similar to Birdsong. The inevitable meeting between Stephen and Levi mirrors this poem as both soldiers cannot blame or feel strong negative emotions towards one another for their actions which has caused drastic negative repercussions, as both of them desire peace. This is an example of physical and psychological conflict as Levi wishes to kill Stephen yet he is unable to, and the trench warfare which causes Jack and Stephen to become trapped.
Another example of physical devastation is the depiction of the deaths of certain characters. Normally the personas with more importance would have a greater “death”, however Faulks contradicts this norm. For example, Eliis is deemed to be a fairly important character to the novel, as he emphasises to the reader how worn Stephen and Weir have become and yet he is only briefly referred to when his death occurs, “killed by machine-gun fire” and his death regardless of being important is “glossed over”. Earlier, the wounds and eventual deaths of Douglas, Wilkinson and Reeves are described in great detail, with full information provided as to how they received their injuries. Weir’s death is treated differently again, in that the description here is more poetic, almost as though it is happening in slow-motion. There is some significance in this, as Weir’s last encounter with Stephen had resulted with his friend angrily pushing him face-down in the mud. This description allows the reader to understand the importance of this action, as it is mirrored in his death.
Within Birdsong there are many cases of psychological conflict or devastation as soldiers experience post war stress, an example of this is Elizabeth’s visit to the traumatised Brennan. Upon the initial perception of Brennan he is perceived as a little bird, a common repeating motif throughout the novel, sitting upon his stool. He is a character which causes the reader to empathise with him as it is clear he had suffered from some post-traumatic stress, which has lasted his whole life as he speaks of the same event over and over again, “Such fireworks. We was all there, the whole street. There was dancing…”. Alternatively, I it could be interpreted that Brennan is attempting to achieve peace or some deviation of enlightenment, with his constant mumbling of the same events in attempts of understanding the reasoning of the acts performed in the battles in which he participated in.
Faulks uses the declination of Weir’s mental state as another depiction of psychological conflict upon the battlefront. This occurs when Weir begs Stephen to “hold him” and “call him” by his “first name”. This passage shows that the war was having psychological impact on the soldiers as Weir, the ideal soldier, is driven into a bubbling wreck by his fear. This creates a sense of empathy towards Weir as he is unable to contain his fear and requires comfort from Stephen whom Weir perceives as a father or mother substitute. Not only is this interpretation an example of psychological conflict, but is also a portrayal of the deterioration of masculinity, a common theme within the novel.
Faulks use’s the boy in the nursing ward in which Stephen is hospitalised to portray physical devastation created within the First World War. Faulks use’s the many examples of emotive and almost grotesque language within the description of the boy’s predicament. I believe, Faulks intentionally does to create a sense of shock therefore the reader understands the true nature of The War compared to the glorified image created by those who either were far enough from the front lines to be safe or those who had never experienced the true nature of war. Alternatively this passage was written so the reader would understand and empathise with Stephen, as he wishes for the Boy’s release from pain and wishes “for him to die”, however it is also argue able that Stephen is cold hearted and selfish. Although this interpretation is incredibly unlikely and therefore an ambiguous passage, a common motif throughout this poem. Also Stephens attempts at consoling the grieving nurse by “catching her eye” juxtaposes the previous analysis and this also creates a sense of empathy towards Stephen and almost pity as his first sign of weakness since losing Isabelle is being portrayed. Faulk’s depiction of the gassed boy links contextually to Owens poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est” as both of their works link to similar chaos in the war. However, that being said, Owens poem contains more similes throughout the description of the tragic events, “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks”. Also, Unlike Birdsong, “Dulce Et Decorum Est” creates a much more ambiguous tone as it is unclear until the mention of “gas” that this poem is indeed relating to the First World War and not just some other war in the past. Both texts are, ultimately, attempting to shock yet inform the readers into comprehending the tragic events which occurred in the war and it’s repercussions. The use of the simile to describe the burdened soldiers also creates a sense of empathy towards them similar to that of Birdsong towards Stephen, however unlike Birdsong the sense of empathy is created around the soldiers experiencing the havoc rather than Stephen watching a boy suffering and being no more than a bystander unable to aid him in anyway and therefore being too weak to help the boy, similarly like the soldiers being too weak to prevent ordeals they face being gassed.
Bibliography:
Mullan, J, Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks (The Guardian)
Faulks, S, Birdsong(London, Vintage, 1993) p7
Ibid
Ibid
James, D, AS/A-Level Student Text Guide Birdsong Sebastian Faulks(London, Phillip Allan, 2010) p56
Owen, W, The War Poems of Wilfred Owen(London, Chatto & Windus Limited, 1984) p35
Faulks, S, Birdsong(London, Vintage, 1993) p381
Unknown Author, (Unknown publication date, Unknown publisher, Unknown publication date)
Faulks, S, Birdsong(London, Vintage, 1993) p403
Faulks, S, Birdsong(London, Vintage, 1993) p240
Faulks, S, Birdsong(London, Vintage, 1993) p186
Faulks, S, Birdsong(London, Vintage, 1993) p187
Owen, W, The War Poems of Wilfred Owen (London, Chatto & Windus Limited, 1984) p29
kishan chips's Blog 