Joureys end
extract: pages 54-56
Stanhope and Hibbert
This is a very dramatic event in the play. Hibbert claims he
has neuralgia and wants to go home because of his illness however, Stanhope
know that Hibbert is not really ill and only wants to escape the war.
Stanhope begins by talking too Hibbert in short blunt sentences
in a calm way that shows his authority-“There’s nothing wrong with you” … “you’re
going to stay here and see it through with the rest of us”. Hebert’s behaviour
is described as ‘hysterically’ and he goes to leave the dugout ‘excitedly’. In response,
Stanhope ‘walks slowly’ and ‘takes out his revolver, and stands casually
examining it.’ His calm shows his control over the situation and the contrast between
their behaviour and Stanhope’s threatening action builds the tension.
When Stanhope stops him, Hibbert desperately claims that he
will ‘die of this pain’ if he doesn’t go, to which Stanhope replies “better die
of pain than be shot for deserting”. This statement demonstrates how cowardice
was viewed at the time of war. If Hibbert did try to leave by faking being sick
he would be ‘shot for deserting’ which Stanhope later describes how it would be
a ‘hell of a disgrace’. It would have been better for Stanhope to shoot him by ‘accident’
as Hibbert’s family would have undergone abuse towards Hibbert for being a
coward. This highlights the awful, trapped positions that the soldiers were in
and how helpless and desperate it made them feel and become.
When Stanhope gives the choice between being sent to the
firing squad or being shot by Stanhope the tension reaches its peak. Stanhope continues
to speak in calm, tantalizing sentences and question s –“d’you see- cleaning
it- and it’s going to go off by accident”. Hibbert’s instability is shown when
he goes from speaking ‘in a whisper’ to ‘a high pitch laugh’ and creates more
tension. As Stanhope counts down it builds even more. Then when Hibbert stands
and closes his eyes it’s obvious he chooses to be shot by Stanhope. As a play this
would be the most dramatic moment as they wait for the shot. All of this tension
is represented in the way that Hebert’s hands are ‘clutching’ at his clothes
which also gives him vulnerability and sympathy. It could also be seen as
ironic that potentially the last thing that Hibbert would have been literally
holding on to for his life just before he died was his war uniform-which he so
desperately wants to escape.
The stage directions show how Stanhope comforts Hibbert by ‘placing
his hand on his shoulders’ and ‘smiling’. Sherriff has shown in this scene how
Stanhope is a very good commander as his professionalism and calm is kept
throughout the scene even though he feels exactly the same way about the war as
Hibbert. This may be the reason why when he talks about ‘seeing it through’,
and sees Hibbert’s crying reaction he ‘turns away’. Through this scene we also
learn about how Stanhope sees his own situation in war and why he has turned to
drink. He can’t go home on sick leave when he’s not really sick because that
would result in his death or the feeling of guilt for the rest of life and so
his only way of coping with the same feelings as Hibbert is by drinking.
