"Regeneration" Essay, Research Paper
`??????????????? 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 t
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.