Analysing aspects of form, structure, and language, explore the ways in which Barker present the horrors of War

In the novel ‘Regeneration’, Pat Barker uses form, structure and language to present the horrors of war. The consequences of the horrors of war are also presented through psychological factors and vivid imagery which Barker creates. It is also dues to these horrors that there is protest against the war, which is also shown in the novel.

The novel is set in a mental hospital called Craiglockhart in Scotland in 1917. By using Craiglockhart as the setting, Barker shows how the men still suffer from the experiences of the war. Craiglockhart existed in World War 1, and helped in dealing with the 800,000 cases of shell shock from the British army. Madness is a minor theme in Regeneration, and helps present the horrors of war. It is the main reason why these soldiers are at Craiglockhart. These men are not accepted in society because of their ‘madness’, as it is seen as the inability to act in a manner that is considered normal. The symptoms of madness range from a fear of blood to mutism, from an inability to eat to a vocal protest of the war. For many men the treatment they receive leaves them feeling emasculated, shamed and isolated over their breakdown and their problems are only made worse.

Barker uses each characters experience to show the horrors of war. Each character comes in at a different point in the novel, for example Yealland is introduced towards the end of the novel whereas Sassoon is first introduced with his Declaration which opens the novel. By introducing the characters at different times, Barker builds up tension during the novel. Yealland’s treatment of Callan occurs near the end of Regeneration, over the course of which the reader has become accustomed to River’s gentler talk therapy. Yealland’s treatment is set up specifically as a confrontation, tension is built up which leads to this moment. By opening with Sassoon’s Declaration emphasis is put on the fact that the novel is part fact and part fiction, and as it is a true document written by Sassoon in July 1917, it gives credibility to the novel.

Barker presents the horrors of war through the psychological effects on the characters and creating visual images which explore the experiences of the men. David Burns has a severe case of shell-shock. He presents the torture soldiers went through even after the war, and that some never recovered. ‘What filled his nose and mouth was decomposing human flesh. Now, whenever he tried to eat, that taste and smell recurred’. The blunt language Barker uses shows how Burns is physically ill as well as mentally, ‘retching up the last ounce of bile’. The physical side of his illness is most prominently shown through the use of his senses and the vivid imagery Barker uses. Burns is always being reminded about the war, and this description of his senses is used later in the novel also. ‘People smelling of wet wool jerked and swayed against him... not liking the contact or smell’. Barker also shows how it affects him mentally. ‘His mind was incapable of making comparisons, but his aching thighs remembered’. The declarative sentences used here shows the certainty in which his body knows what to do. Third person is used, which allows us to follow Burn’s thought process during his trip outside of Craiglockhart.

The most direct representations of horrors of war come through the stories of the patients at Craiglockhart. Prior’s experience in the war is revealed during his hypnosis through Barkers use of flashbacks. After a shell explosion Prior finds himself shovelling dead bodies and mud when he comes across an eyeball. ‘What am I supposed to do with this gob-stopper?’ Barker’s description of the eyeball as a gobstopper shows Prior’s complete loss of reality and eventually prevents him from speaking. Barker then goes on to describe Prior’s shell shock, ‘There was a sense of joy in watching them, elation almost’, ‘All present and correct but how they combined together to make sounds he has no idea’. Prior feels fine, despite just seeing some of his men killed. The language Barker uses shows how Prior has lost his speech. He has no idea what to do, and is lost. The description of Priors shell shock is unlike any other in the novel, we see the moments leading up to and attributing to his shell shock. Priors shell shock is also unusual as mutism is more common in lower ranked soldiers, in comparison to officers such as Prior were mutism is more uncommon in the war.

Sassoon’s Declaration is written as a consequence of the horrors of war he has faced. Sassoon makes it clear his thoughts and feelings towards the war through the use of intellectual language and polysyllabic words. The personal pronoun ‘I am’ is repeated, which suggests that he is a bold person and makes his belief that the government is corrupt clear, ‘the war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it’. Sassoon is Barker's first reference to shell shock, and it is used to introduce the novel. Sassoon is diagnosed with shell shock as a convenient excuse to silence him; however he does in fact suffer with some symptoms of shell shock such as his hallucinations, of which are shown as early as page 5. ‘Immediately he saw lines on men... clambering up the ladders to face the guns. He blinked them away’. Later with Rivers, he shares with him how he saw ‘Corpses. Men with half their faces shot off, crawling across the floor’.

Barker also presents the theme of horrors of war through Doctor Rivers who, despite never going to war, suffers with war neurosis. He encourages his patients to talk about their experiences at war, and uses a gentle and therapeutic approach by encouraging rest and relaxation. We are first made aware of the kind of person Rivers is when he first meets Sassoon. ‘His hands, doing complicated things with cup, saucer, plate, sandwiches’. The asyndetic listing shows that Rivers is always working as he analyses Sassoon. It also stresses the speed at which he does it. ‘It made so many neurological tests redundant’. The over the shoulder point of view and use of free direct thought shows Rivers first impressions of Sassoon forming. The use of declarative sentences shows that Rivers is in control. Rivers feels a deep conflict about whether he is doing the right thing by treating men just so that they can return to war and the horrors that come with it. His repeated encounters with both psychologically and physically damaged soldiers very gradually cause Rivers to have doubts about the wars human cost.

In conclusion, Barker presents the horrors of war through structure, form and language successfully. She also transfers the theme through each soldier’s individual experiences in the war, and the consequences of these such as Sassoon’s protest.