Anderson:
- Uses a sarcastic almost angry tone when he talks to rivers ‘Anderson exploded at last’.
- Anderson seems reluctant to tell rivers about his dreams; hesitating before telling rivers what he was tied up in, and answering ‘no,’ straight away when asked if medicine is an issue between him and his farter in law.
- He also sees the worst in rivers “That’s what you Freudian jonnies are on about all the time”
- Anderson is a farther.
- He feels emasculated and embarrassed by his brake down “awkward situation really what do you do when a doctor brakes down?” matter of fact tone of voice
- Rivers pulls from Anderson’s dream that he has a lack of faith in Rivers methods may explain why he is sarcastic and angry with rivers.
- Anderson has knowledge of Freud and is a surgeon so is obviously an educated person.
- Anderson has a fear of blood which poses as a threat for his job as a surgeon.
Burns:
- Burns is clearly physically unwell as well as psychologically ‘his collar bones and ribs were clearly visible beneath his yellowish skin’
- Burns seems polite as he says he's worried “about upsetting other people.”
- Burns had been thrown into the air by an explosion and landed head first into a German corpse.
- Rivers was lost at how to deal with Burns case
- Burns is socially challenged, he doesn’t like contact with other people
- He went on the bus and got lost up a hill and he’s finds lots of dead animals and arranges them in a circle round a tree he then undressed and lay with the dead animals. This shows that Burns is clearly mad.
- Burns is clearly attached to Rivers he asks himself why he went back to the hospital and the answer was for Rivers sitting by his bed looking after him.
Prior:
- Priors character is fictional
- He wants to return to war and cries when he is not allowed
- Refuses to speak when we are first introduced to him
- Sister Rogers dislikes him and ‘it was unlike Sister Rodgers to take a dislike to