How did you like the ending? How would you compare this ending to All Quiet? Are you satisfied with it? I find it extremely ironic that on the last page a man asks her, “You’re not hysterical, are you?” (239). Do you think that all of the efforts that Nellie and the other women made a difference in equality, or do you think things went back to how they were before? It must have been extremely frustrating for these women to be thought as “exaggerating,” or “hysterical.” I am surprised that Nellie did not lash out in a similar way to the Bug, as she mentioned earlier that “One of these days I shall lose control” (58).
When Nellie confides in her mother that she will not return to the war because of the horrors she witnesses, her mother calls her a coward. Nellie’s mother says that it is better to “die doing your duty” (185) than have a “cushy job.” What do you think? This reminds me of Paul in All Quiet, and how he is dismissed by the French women when they know he is on leave. How are Nellie and Paul treated in civilian life? How are they valued?
When Nellie returns to work, she describes it as “the last claw of the cat before it is put in the sack and drowned!” (211) How does Nellie change throughout the novel? What does it mean to call herself “a slot machine that never goes out of order” (214)? Also, I wonder about the stigmas around depression during the time. For instance, Nellie’s mother once said about Roy that he is “a trifle depressed, but that will wear off.” How can people like Nellie’s mother actually believe that his depression will simply “wear off”?
11 thoughts on “Ella’s Reading Questions for 2/3, Pg. 162-End of the Novel”
1-The ending of Not So Quiet was so incredibly tragic that I began to cry. Nellie has lost her very soul to the pain and madness of the war. The passerby asking her about being hysterical just seems so ironic, as if there was enough of her vitality left to even become emotional. I think in this poignant ending, Smith is emphasizing that Nellie’s lost so much, life is not worth living. For me, this ending is more heartbreaking than Remarque’s because it feels like some powerful unearthly force is keeping her alive, which almost seems like a divine punishment considering the intense psychological pain that Nellie is feeling.
2-As a parent of adult children, I am absolutely appalled by Nellie’s mother, Aunt Helen, and Mrs. Evan-Mawnington. Being a history major, WWI is my area of interest and I have done quite a bit of research into the mentality of this “Lost Generation.” While it is shocking to our 21st century sensibilities, the ideals these Brits espoused were considered right and proper. I think that both Nellie and Paul were more valuable to their families as “war machines” because their civilian lives were rather ordinary. While Paul’s mother understood and seemed upset by his service, the remainder of the family characters in these two texts seemed to get a vicarious thrill from Paul and Nellie’s suffering.
3-Nellie’s “last claw” statement seemed very sarcastic to me. I felt she registered as cook’s assistant specifically to irritate her family. Nellie’s personality changes with each traumatic event she endures. The poor woman becomes emotionally distant and colder as the work progresses until the final moments when she has completely lost her humanity. Nellie has become a “slot machine” going through the motions of life without really living it. Today I read two articles about the Great War mentality of extreme patriotism and British society’s rather stoic treatment of mental health issues in traumatized soldiers and support staff. The crux of both scholarly arguments lies in the fact that modern students of the war and its implications should attempt to contextualize the somewhat harsh attitudes as reflective of that era, not some manifestation of cruelty or indifference.
For the second question my response is that I think no one is a coward when there is a war going on, I believe everyone tries to survive and cope with a war as much as possible. There are things that cannot be unseen or unheard that can be taken out of the mind.
2. I disagree with Nellie’s mother on the basis of not really liking war in general, myself. I also don’t think a cushy job is ideal in the sense that it might prevent pro- or anti-war efforts. I think this relates to what you are asking. Nellie and Paul as civilians are worth less than dirt; they are young and (relatively) fit, so they MUST serve their country. Their value is in their body but not their personhood. This relates to the theme in both novels where there is a bigger picture or a “man behind the scenes” for the war, and the nation focuses on its broader gains and losses rather than the individuality of its soldiers and workers.
For the first question, I did like the ending of Not So Quiet. It was still tragic, but it was an appropriate ending for the story. The loss of Nellie’s mental state was a good narrative way to end her character. I felt the same way about the ending of All Quiet on the Western Front. Paul’s death was an appropriate way to end the story. Both novels show the horrors of war and what it does to one mental state. Nellie lost her mind while Paul became numb to war and died in the end.
For the second question, I believe Nellie’s mother had that reaction because like many others like Nellie’s mother never witnessed the horrors of the war. So they believed that not serving in the war meant that you were a coward. Both Nellie and Paul are treated as outsiders when they return to civilian life. They have seen and experienced so much horror that no one can relate to them. They are valued has a type of “hero” but both Nellie and Paul don’t feel this way nor do they expect to treated as such.
For the third question, Nellie at the end of the novel has become a mentally distressed person who has lost her state of mind. I believe Nellie would use such lines like, “the last claw of the cat before it is put in the sack and drowned!” Are the remaining ways that Nellie is dealing with the trauma that she has been through. People like Nellie’s mother who believe that depression will “wear off” tend to not understand how depression affects people differently. Depression can “wear off” as they say for certain people, but it doesn’t for others.
1-The ending of Not So Quiet was so incredibly tragic that I began to cry. Nellie has lost her very soul to the pain and madness of the war. The passerby asking her about being hysterical just seems so ironic, as if there was enough of her vitality left to even become emotional. I think in this poignant ending, Smith is emphasizing that Nellie’s lost so much, life is not worth living. For me, this ending is more heartbreaking than Remarque’s because it feels like some powerful unearthly force is keeping her alive, which almost seems like a divine punishment considering the intense psychological pain that Nellie is feeling.
2-As a parent of adult children, I am absolutely appalled by Nellie’s mother, Aunt Helen, and Mrs. Evan-Mawnington. Being a history major, WWI is my area of interest and I have done quite a bit of research into the mentality of this “Lost Generation.” While it is shocking to our 21st century sensibilities, the ideals these Brits espoused were considered right and proper. I think that both Nellie and Paul were more valuable to their families as “war machines” because their civilian lives were rather ordinary. While Paul’s mother understood and seemed upset by his service, the remainder of the family characters in these two texts seemed to get a vicarious thrill from Paul and Nellie’s suffering.
3-Nellie’s “last claw” statement seemed very sarcastic to me. I felt she registered as cook’s assistant specifically to irritate her family. Nellie’s personality changes with each traumatic event she endures. The poor woman becomes emotionally distant and colder as the work progresses until the final moments when she has completely lost her humanity. Nellie has become a “slot machine” going through the motions of life without really living it. Today I read two articles about the Great War mentality of extreme patriotism and British society’s rather stoic treatment of mental health issues in traumatized soldiers and support staff. The crux of both scholarly arguments lies in the fact that modern students of the war and its implications should attempt to contextualize the somewhat harsh attitudes as reflective of that era, not some manifestation of cruelty or indifference.
For the second question my response is that I think no one is a coward when there is a war going on, I believe everyone tries to survive and cope with a war as much as possible. There are things that cannot be unseen or unheard that can be taken out of the mind.
2. I disagree with Nellie’s mother on the basis of not really liking war in general, myself. I also don’t think a cushy job is ideal in the sense that it might prevent pro- or anti-war efforts. I think this relates to what you are asking. Nellie and Paul as civilians are worth less than dirt; they are young and (relatively) fit, so they MUST serve their country. Their value is in their body but not their personhood. This relates to the theme in both novels where there is a bigger picture or a “man behind the scenes” for the war, and the nation focuses on its broader gains and losses rather than the individuality of its soldiers and workers.
For the first question, I did like the ending of Not So Quiet. It was still tragic, but it was an appropriate ending for the story. The loss of Nellie’s mental state was a good narrative way to end her character. I felt the same way about the ending of All Quiet on the Western Front. Paul’s death was an appropriate way to end the story. Both novels show the horrors of war and what it does to one mental state. Nellie lost her mind while Paul became numb to war and died in the end.
For the second question, I believe Nellie’s mother had that reaction because like many others like Nellie’s mother never witnessed the horrors of the war. So they believed that not serving in the war meant that you were a coward. Both Nellie and Paul are treated as outsiders when they return to civilian life. They have seen and experienced so much horror that no one can relate to them. They are valued has a type of “hero” but both Nellie and Paul don’t feel this way nor do they expect to treated as such.
For the third question, Nellie at the end of the novel has become a mentally distressed person who has lost her state of mind. I believe Nellie would use such lines like, “the last claw of the cat before it is put in the sack and drowned!” Are the remaining ways that Nellie is dealing with the trauma that she has been through. People like Nellie’s mother who believe that depression will “wear off” tend to not understand how depression affects people differently. Depression can “wear off” as they say for certain people, but it doesn’t for others.