Relationship Between A Long Way And Journey's End '

While both texts show that companionship between soldiers could transcend ranks, there is also obvious animosity between certain soldiers and those above them. This tension is clear in Journey’s End when the Colonel is introduced and his lack of understanding regarding the true horrors of war causes friction between Stanhope and himself. In fact, a Bedlam Theatre 2015 amateur production of Journey’s End is quick to shows the Colonel’s detachment from the soldiers at the front; the director chose to dress the Colonel in a clean, bright uniform that contrasts with the dirty clothes of the officers in the dugout. By immediately displaying a physical difference between these ranks, the play conveys to the audience how the upper ranks often couldn’t
However, even the comradeship of the men was tainted by war; A Long Long Way especially highlights how the need for companionship and the constant exposure to violence could blind soldiers to their friends’ mistakes. Willie appears to forgive Pete O’Hara for assaulting the German girl, arguably because Willie needs to cling onto any friendship he can find. Therefore, no presentation of relationships in war literature can be viewed outside of its context; it is war that creates and destroys these relationships and so it is difficult to view even the loving connections between men as positive when they exist because of such an atrocious situation. Overall, I prefer the presentation of relationships in A Long Long Way because I believe that any piece of literature with war as its subject matter benefits from a wide perspective and by covering a variety of relationships and how they were affected, Barry reflects the far-reaching damage that war inflicted. However, it is difficult to compare this with Journey’s End because Sherriff was not concerned with documenting the worldwide effects of war. His purpose was to focus on the intimate friendships between a close-knit group of officers and I believe he achieves this with a touching subtlety that Barry’s grittier, more shocking presentation of relationships does