Strong Argument About The Emasculation Of War example essay topic

Regeneration World War I was fought on the battlegrounds of Europe. Death and dismay was strewn throughout the landscape. The major players included, but were not limited to, The United States, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and France. Much like the Vietnam War, that would occur later on in the century, this war was one of bewilderment for most of the people involved, and not involved, for that matter. The soldiers and civilians alike were uncertain about the events leading up to this escalation of mass bloodshed. This uncertainty through Europe and the US, led to a myriad of recurring themes on and off the battlefields.

The novel Regeneration, written by Pat Barker, discusses these experiences, and consequential themes in depth. In particular, one of these recurring motifs found in the novel that is incredibly interesting is that of Emasculation. It can be found throughout the novel through a variety of medium, including experiences and even clinical healing methods used by a doctor. Emasculation was expressed as a major theme throughout the World War I era and should be addressed properly. The primary character, Siegfried Sassoon, based on a real life person, was a poet as well as an extremely recognized war hero in WWI. Through his trials and tribulations he was transformed from an expert bombing technician, to an anti-war advocate.

His writing of the "Declaration", which was his most widely controversial writing, got him sent to Craig lockhart Hospital, as a mental patient and he was labeled "mentally unsound". It was during his time at the hospital that we see the variety of emasculation that he encountered through the war. At the turn of the century it was a time of strong patriotism. Men foolishly felt that it was their solemn duty to enlist in the war and fight gallantly for their country. There was no greater "manly" honor than to die in battle fighting for the country that you loved so much.

It would have been completely "unmanly", or emasculating to shy away from this God given duty to fight. The same judgement was cast upon people who suffered mental anguish and were not able to fight. The general public and other officers saw it as unmanly and even cowardice. Sassoon was faced with this very situation at the commencement of the novel. We lay privy to encountering an argument that Sassoon is having with one of his comrades, Robert Graves. Sassoon said, "Give it up?

You don't think I've come this far, do you, just to give in now... The only way to get publicity is to make them court marshal me". (Barker, 6) Sassoon saw going to the mental hospital, and conceding his argument that he posed in his Declaration, as completely emasculating. To get court marshaled would have been the only manly option in Sassoon's mind. That would mean that he preached what he believed in, stood up for it, and took his punishment like a man. But instead, he is sent to the mental hospital, away from the war, and locked up like a crazy nut.

This would prove to be only the beginning of many emasculating experiences for Sassoon. Before beginning a swim at the hospital with Graves, each man noticed scars on the other. "Sassoon glanced at the shrapnel wound on Graves's thigh. 'An inch further up'... ". (Barker, 32) This was a common joke encountered by Robert Graves, but in reality it was the worst kind of emasculation possible.

This is only reinforced through Sassoon's experience with the young boy in the bed next to him who had been castrated during the fighting. These wounds, and actual removal of genitals, is a strong argument about the emasculation of war... They are constant reminders that would last with the person the remainder of their life. The fact that a man's most "manly" area of his body was removed in battle, just presents the emasculating effects that war had on people, and the after effect it will carry with them the rest of their lives. While in the hospital, Sassoon encountered a man by the name of Dr. Rivers, who was the head psychiatrist. Dr. Rivers focused on healing the patients from their mental conditions and sending them back to the front lines.

While notably a scholar under the influence of Freud, he had developed many of his own techniques for healing the patients. Many of River's treatments "consisted simply of encouraging the patient to abandon his hopeless attempt to forget, and instead spend some part of every day remembering". (Barker, 26) This remembering was done through talking and sharing one's feelings about situations that occurred. Even thought it was effective, Sassoon, as with many other patients, was subjected to this type of treatment and it could be considered an unmanly type of treatment.

Dealing with feeling and emotions was seen as pertaining to the feminine domain, and this would be associated as emasculating as crying would be. It came to a point where Sassoon insisted against it, and insisted for treatment of hypnotherapy. But it was not only the methods that Rivers used that were emasculating. It was also through the various symptoms and stories about the war that also reflected upon this motif of emasculation.

The condition of mutism was a common condition among many of the mental patients. Though there were a variety of assumptions that mutism occurred, it all led back to an emasculating experience. The loss of being able to speak is a very strong debilitating experience. Through this debilitation it is that emasculating experiences can occur; the inability to defend ones self verbally, not being able to communicate in an easy and effective manner, and it represents a complete loss of power, in terms of being able to command people around.

This debilitation can easily be correlated to the debilitating feelings during the war. During battle men would be sent into trenches and mortar holes in the middle of the battle field, and commanded to hold their position. This was like sending a man into a grave to wait and be shot. Even though it was what every young boy read about and one day dreamed of doing, it was insane. Men packed so closely into a hole in the Earth, not able to move, and just waiting till the next shift comes or a shell hits them. "The war that had promised so much in the way of 'manly' activity had actually delivered 'feminine' passivity".

(Barker, 108) Everything the men aspired to do in life, which was fight for their country, then only seemed like a ridiculous activity, where they were emasculated beyond any question of a doubt.