As the play progresses, how does Sherriff encourage us to feel about Stanhope at different points?
Sherriff presents Stanhope in more than one way for us to empathize with Stanhope, and look at him from various different viewpoints.
In the beginning of Act 1, Sheriff gives contrasting opinions about Stanhope before we meet him. We can see this when Osborne defends Stanhope in front of Hardy, as he says “He’s a long way the best commander we’ve got.” The word “best” has connotations of a man of broad experience and outstanding figure. We can infer that Osborne is respecting Stanhope, even though he is much younger than him. In addition, the word “long way” infers that Stanhope built his career and faith through his long wartime experience. This makes the reader and audience feel that Stanhope is very mature and has the potential to lead his company.
In contrast, Hardy belittles Stanhope, describing him to be unfit for the job. For example, “Drinking like a fish, as usual?” lucidly signifies how he is as a person. The word “fish” infers that Stanhope gains “life” from alcohol, since fish live through the consumption of water to gain oxygen. The use of personification and
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The successful use of contradiction between the characters and Stanhope’s personality builds an interesting background and setting, while the use of grievous vocabulary and quotations directly tells us the hopes and the emotional thought process of Stanhope. Through war time experiences, Sherriff is also able to bring the play into life, allowing us to see the dread and horror of fighting in a war. Journey’s End, a masterpiece renowned throughout the world of literature and art, allows the readers to perceive and dive into depths of war, not only with our imagination, but with our sense of perception, with our bare