The Beach:
She looked round her as if to find the man he once had been. There were other women on the beach, women in black and old men and children with buckets and spades, people of the town. They seemed to be glad to be alive. No one seemed to be thinking of the war
Throughout this semester we have seen many instances in which “no one seemed to be thinking of the war”, however, in this short story we also get the statement, “They seemed to be glad to be alive”. Why has the author chosen to use the phrase of ‘seeming’ to be something with reference to the effects of war? And do you think the wounded man is “glad to be alive”?
Moonlight:
Within this story, we are presented with many images and details regarding the comfortability with the ‘Pain’ and suffering of war. For example, the narrator constantly reminds us of her hatred for the smell of freshly mown hay despite her love for the smell of the mud and blood. Do you think this is simply a case of ‘being used to it’ or is there something deeper being said?
Rosa:
In this story we hear of a physically strong man who attempted suicide, but survived a shot to the head. After his initial survival, we learn of the fact that he will be court marshalled and then shot dead for his attempt. We have seen in other texts this semester how making an example of someone mattered more than their life itself, what are your opinions on this and how do you think it impacted the war?
2. In our class we talked about how the smells drive a deeper meaning and are essentially triggers for her. The smell of the freshly cut hay, the earth, seeing the moonlight, are all triggers of a time before the war. They make her emotional and pull her out of the state of logic and reality that she has forced herself into to stay alive. Anytime she smells or sees something that reminds her of before the war is a threat to break her routine. That routine is crucial for her survival and she strongly dislikes anything that attempts to break her sanity.
I think in Rosa the decision to court marshal a suicidal man and then shoot him for making an attempt on his life is asinine. Even during a time when mental health wasn’t understood, the reasoning is just not there. Making an example out of someone in this circumstance would most likely lead to dropped morale and more self-harm or suicidal ideation. Clearly it was not well thought out.