After reading both All Quiet and Not so Quiet it is clear that the soldiers and workers actually participating in the war physically do not want to be there. However, for the first time, we see in Not so Quiet that there are people who see the war as an opportunity. The lower class women like Blimey who Smithy works with towards the end of the novel need the war for food and money. Smithy says, “It’s a jolly good war and they hope it goes on forever” when talking about Blimey and Cheery (p. 218). I was taken aback after reading this section because I had not thought about how from some peoples perspective the war was personally beneficial. The class differences are at the forefront of this novel and the contrast in perspectives toward the war is interesting to think about.
Literature of the Great War
ENGL 348. Spring 2022. Dr. Scanlon.
Great Post! I am covering some aspects of the Great War for my HIS485 this semester and I have tons of reading. Two things I noted in this week’s readings:
1-Many unmarried women (they used to say spinsters) had opportunities that they would normally never have had during peacetime. Miss Ogilvy is a good example. Industry also provided employment outside the home which gave women a new level of independence.
2-Certain businesses that provided the army with goods absolutely boomed and made some families quite wealthy.
War is a terrible thing but I think there will always be people that somehow profit from the suffering that occurs in a conflict.
Hi, I’m glad you brought this up; I was also taken aback when I read the characters that enjoyed the opportunity war presented. I think this was really a useful perspective, especially since many of the women in Not so Quiet were upper-class. I think this possibly could have grounded Nellie, because while her life at home is not ideal, it is much better than the life Blimey and Cheery have at home.