Gradual Change In Narrative Point Of View example essay topic

' On what basis does an author choose a title for a novel Is it simply that it must bear some relation to the story It must, surely, be far more than this, and here is where the title "Regeneration" succeeds; it works well on so many different levels. It not only refers to the story, but it also suggests the themes, structure, development and shifting narrative viewpoint of Barker's book. It is this last aspect on which I will principally concentrate because it is a device which is not immediately obvious. Pat Barker chooses very carefully through which character she narrates the story in each passage. Towards the beginning of the novel, there is a clearly identifiable rule which she follows, however, this changes and develops along with her characters. The primary example of this concerns Rivers.

In almost every passage in which he appears along with a patient, the narrative is invariably told through him. Barker does this for two reasons. The first is to quickly develop and define River's characterisation, so almost as soon as we meet him we know what kind of a man he is. The second is that in relating the scene through him, she is reinforcing the role he plays as a doctor and a guiding force for the men under his care. He is generally the strongest character in the passages in which he appears and so the story is told through him.

Even in the first scene with Rivers and Sassoon, clearly the most forceful of his patients, with the possible exception of Prior, it is all related through Rivers. It is from Rivers that we learn Sassoon's "hands, doing complicated things with cup, saucer, plate, sandwiches, cake, sugar, tongs and spoon, were perfectly steady". This shows that the men over whom he presides are damaged creatures who have been stripped of their manhood and strength by their experiences. One would expect that Rivers, being double most of his patient's age, would be the weaker in any confrontation.

With a young man's tendency to "sweep away his father's life work in a single minute", Rivers, as an older man should bow under the generalisation and belligerence of a "bright sixth former", but instead his superior strength is clearly defined by his narrative. However, this style of narrative shifts and develops throughout the course of the novel, as Rivers succeeds in "curing" the men. As they are regenerated, so the narrative emphasis regenerates. As Sassoon and Prior, the only two real successes we come across, regain confidence and heal themselves, the narrative becomes more balanced, until at the end, the emphasis is far more equal between the two. This shows that, as the characters are regenerated, so the narrative develops, from being one sided, to being far more equal. This is supported by the fact that, once officially passed fit, Prior takes the lead and actually admits that he "was an absolute pig", quite an achievement given his bitter temperament.

Rivers is not the only example of this imbalance of narrative point of view. Billy Prior, when he appears with a member of the public, namely Sarah, generally commands the majority of the narrative. It is through him that we discover things about other characters he appears with. It is through his eyes we find out Sarah's attitude to the war.

"She might not know much about the war, but what she did know, she faced honestly. He admired her for that". Barker tends to narrate things from Prior's point of view in order to keep the emphasis of the story on the soldiers. She writes about the men and their experiences, not about civilians. In this way, she also keeps soldiers and civilians segregated. This reflects Prior's, and many of the other soldier's including Sassoon's, opinion about the civilians.

The men feel that they cannot possibly understand them and that they cannot ever feel comfortable with "normal people" again, due to the extreme changes that war has brought about. They feel alienated and can feel only contempt for non service members. Thus, with her narrative emphasis on Prior, Barker reminds us of this theme. However, again as the novel progresses, we can see a gradual change in narrative point of view. As Prior slowly begins to be healed and "regenerated", his view of Sarah changes. At the beginning, all he wished was to have a quick liaison with her and had no respect for her at all; "he didn't want her to talk, he didn't want her to tell him things.

He would have preferred not even to know her name. Just flesh against flesh in the darkness, and then nothing". However, as the story moves on and Prior starts to come out of himself, he begins to realise that he does like her and perhaps reconciliation between civilian and soldier is possible. As their relationship progresses, the narrative becomes more balanced and Sarah ceases to be Prior's girl, but becomes a developed and likeable character.

Therefore, as Prior's view of her is regenerated and healed, so the narrative emphasis is balanced. Things improve more and more until it reaches absolute equilibrium. This is heralded by Prior's being passed fit and discharged from the hospital. In the last scene in which he and Sarah appear the narrative is finally balanced and is thus completely equal. "They looked at each other, not finding anything to say Their imminent nakedness made them shy of each other". The term "regeneration" is very well suited to the role that the book itself plays today.

Generally, up until recently, war literature was concerned only with either the soldiers on the front, or the war's effects on the civilians. It was not nearly as common for the two to be brought together in the way in which they are in "Regeneration". Also, with a few notable exceptions such as Virginia Woolf, the subject matter of mental illness in relation to the war was a much rarer one than the actual events of the war and for it to be treated in such a compassionate way is astounding. Even a few years ago, the MOD refused to clear the names of those men who were executed for desertion prompted by "shell shock". This shows how attitudes to that condition now are in need of "regeneration" as much as they were in 1914. In writing her novel, Pat Barker is contributing to that regeneration.

In doing this, she is also changing the way in which we see the war. Up until her novel came out, the general public were well aware that it was a terrible and bloody conflict on the front, but we were not so conscious of the psychological effects. Barker is regenerating the received view of the Great War. We can see that "Regeneration" as a title works very well. It has many more qualities to it than may first meet the eye. Apart from the obvious references to the themes and story, it holds suggestions that are far less immediate.

It is only after one has read the novel and thought about it that such references in the title to structure and point of view emerge. The fact that the chosen title is so subtle in its reference to the text shows that it is very appropriate.