English Course Work
English coursework- Anna Heathcote
How does barker present male and female relationships by using the characters Prior and Sarah in the novel 'regeneration'
The contemporary novel 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker was published in 1991 but was set in the first world war In a hospital that treats soldiers that are suffering with shellshock and are trying to regain mental and physical health so they can go back to war. During the novel Barker gives the reader an insight on what it was like to have a heterosexual relationship during and post world war one. She presents this through the characters prior and Sarah.
Sarah Lumb is a working class girl, she's employed in a munitions factory which gives a her stable income that she could never of achieved before the war. Sarah says that she was earning '10 bob a week' before the war and now she's earning '50 bob a week' this is a massive change for women and Sarah says she 'likes the work' because she wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn that amount of money before. Prior is a patient at Craiglockhart hospital due to being sent home from the war with shellshock, Barker describes him as being left feeling 'out of touch' with women as many aspects have changed since the war began and he feels as though he has been sent back to a different world where women are now more powerful than before he left. Prior says that as women have 'expanded' over this period where men have 'shrunk'. By presenting priors feelings this way it shows the reader how the male and female gender roles changed during the war period, women became more superior by filling in the gaps in society that men left behind when they signed up to fight. This had a negative effect on most soldiers because when they came home it was a complete reversal of roles, they were no longer the ones who were depended on to bring in the income therefore this made them lose there sense of masculinity and feel unneeded.
At first prior is feeling resentment towards Sarah
How does barker present male and female relationships by using the characters Prior and Sarah in the novel 'regeneration'
The contemporary novel 'Regeneration' by Pat Barker was published in 1991 but was set in the first world war In a hospital that treats soldiers that are suffering with shellshock and are trying to regain mental and physical health so they can go back to war. During the novel Barker gives the reader an insight on what it was like to have a heterosexual relationship during and post world war one. She presents this through the characters prior and Sarah.
Sarah Lumb is a working class girl, she's employed in a munitions factory which gives a her stable income that she could never of achieved before the war. Sarah says that she was earning '10 bob a week' before the war and now she's earning '50 bob a week' this is a massive change for women and Sarah says she 'likes the work' because she wouldn’t have the opportunity to earn that amount of money before. Prior is a patient at Craiglockhart hospital due to being sent home from the war with shellshock, Barker describes him as being left feeling 'out of touch' with women as many aspects have changed since the war began and he feels as though he has been sent back to a different world where women are now more powerful than before he left. Prior says that as women have 'expanded' over this period where men have 'shrunk'. By presenting priors feelings this way it shows the reader how the male and female gender roles changed during the war period, women became more superior by filling in the gaps in society that men left behind when they signed up to fight. This had a negative effect on most soldiers because when they came home it was a complete reversal of roles, they were no longer the ones who were depended on to bring in the income therefore this made them lose there sense of masculinity and feel unneeded.
At first prior is feeling resentment towards Sarah