Dr Rivers In Regeneration

For God and Country refers to the sacrifice that individuals or groups of people make for the strength and development of their nation. The novel Regeneration focuses on the soldiers that have been sent to Craiglockhart, a mental hospital where casualties suffering from physiological disorders from the first world war have been sent. Two main characters that the book focuses on are Dr Rivers, a psychiatrist that helps cure the soldiers so that they can return to war and perform their duties, and Seigfreid Sassoon who has been sent to Craiglockhart to be 'cured from shell-shock'. In this novel, the reader is able to connect and understand each character through the use of the characters voices and moods. Pat Barker is not only able to capture
He is a psychiatrist who deals with victims suffering physiological disorders from their participation in the first world war. His job was to 'cure' the soldiers, so that they were fit to return back to their duties. We are able to see that his character is hard working, very involved and dedicated to his career and interacts with his patients the best he can. He does not have a lot of time to himself, because each minute of every day he is analysing, helping and ultimately trying to cure the patients so that they can return to war. Compared to the other doctors that we are introduced to, Rivers is the most understanding and interactive. We gather from the first few pages that he is one of the best doctors in his field, as on page 4 Rivers asks 'so they're sending him here?', with which Bryce replies, ' oh, I think its more specific than that. They're sending him to you'. In just the first few pages we are able to see that Dr Rivers is highly qualified, and the reader is able to make their own judgement as to why Sassoon was sent to the most qualified doctor, such as whether it was deliberate from the government. The use of italics on the word 'you' emphasises and stresses this point. As we read on, we are able to notice that privately, Rivers believes and understands the consequences of the war, but he still has to practice and fulfil his duties as a psychiatrist and aid the soldiers to be cured from shell shock and complete their duties. 'his patients might be encouraged to acknowledge their fears, their horror of the war, but they were still expected to do their duty and return to