Summary Of The Dead By Sebastian Faulks

BIRDSONG:

Critical Analysis: Language:

Throughout the novel, Sebastian Faulks makes use of poetic language and tools to create atmosphere and give his descriptions more power and imagination. He also uses symbolic language to subliminally inform or remind the reader of certain points of interest. An example of this can be seen right at the beginning of the novel in the description of the house in which the Azaire family live. Faulks tells us that it is a ‘strong, formal’ building, behind which hide ‘unseen footsteps’. These descriptions afford the house similar qualities to its owners, namely strength and mystery, but also imply hidden intrigues. This immediately telegraphs that something secretive may be about to happen within the walls
of this building.

Creating realistic tension or atmosphere is vital in a novel of this type, where the reader could otherwise never hope to fully understand the motivations behind the actions of the characters involved. Faulks achieves this in several sections of the novel, most notably during the boat trip on the River Somme, where he creates a sultry, sensuous, indulgent atmosphere, in which the tension between Isabelle and Stephen becomes almost too great for them to tolerate. In addition, he adds to this by introducing elements which will later relate to the First World War, and in doing so, ensures that when the reader reaches those sections, we will be reminded of the earlier scenes.

In Part Three, Faulks describes the ‘train of the Central Line [which] fitted its tube like a bullet in the barrel of a rifle’, this simile links the London Underground with the armaments of battle. He also reminds us that the tunnels of the Underground were ‘dug by sweating tunnellers’ which is reminiscent of Jack Firebrace’s role before and during the war. Later, Faulks uses familiarity to spark the reader’s imagination, in his description of the Star and Garter home. He recounts the decor, the colour of the door, the flooring and brickwork, the lighting and even the aromas which emit from the kitchens, although these are soon overpowered by the smell of disinfectant. This all paints a rather depressing picture of the place in which Brennan has spent the last sixty years of his life, forcing the reader to remember his role in the war scenes and reminding us how much the modern characters take for granted in their relatively luxurious lifestyles.

In addition, there are several instances where the reader may relate Faulks’s language in the novel directly to some of the poetry of the First World War.
These include a reference, in Part Two, to Douglas ‘pouring himself away’, as Stephen remembers the soldier’s bloody death in the trenches. This statement is reminiscent of two First World War poems. Firstly, in Disabled, Wilfred Owen mentions that the maimed subject of his poem had ‘poured [his blood] down shell-holes’. Secondly, Rupert Brooke’s The Dead (i), tells us of men who have ‘poured out the red/Sweet wine of youth’. Both poets and Faulks are reminding their readers that these men did not choose to pour away their blood, but have done so metaphorically, in that the war has forced them to waste their
lives.

The scenes underground, especially when Stephen is trapped with Jack Firebrace and then rescued by Levi, are reminiscent of Owen’s Strange Meeting. In this poem, Owen describes an encounter between two soldiers from opposing sides. They meet, essentially, in Hell, although Owen describes this as simply an underground tunnel. The eventual meeting between Wraysford and Levi echoes this poem, in that the opposing soldiers cannot blame or hate one another for earlier actions, as both of them are just grateful for peace.

The language which surrounds the deaths of certain characters varies greatly and this variation is occasionally inconsistent.
Normally more important characters would have a greater description afforded to their deaths, but in Birdsong, this is not always the case. Ellis’s death for example, is only referred to briefly with the information that he had been ‘killed by machine-gun fire’. Ellis plays quite an important role, emphasising to the reader how war-weary both Weir and Wraysford have become, and yet his death is glossed-over. Earlier, the wounds and eventual deaths of Douglas, Wilkinson and Reeves are described in great detail, with full information provided as to how they received their injuries. Weir’s death is treated differently again, in that the description here is more poetic, almost as though it is happening in slow-motion. There is some significance in this, as Weir’s last encounter with Stephen had resulted with his friend angrily pushing him face-down in the mud. This description allows the reader to understand the importance of this action, as it is mirrored in his
death.

Quite often, however, authors give more vivid descriptions of the deaths of less important characters, as the more important ones are simply too significant. It is enough just to know that that character is dead, so we do not need to understand the details surrounding his death. Sebastian Faulks varies his accounts of different characters’ deaths, to the point where some are barely noticeable. The suicide of Barnes, for instance, is dealt with in one sentence as we are simply told that, while waiting for the Battle of the Somme to commence, he ‘shot himself through the palate’. In this way, such deaths become as commonplace as the author intends. By not focusing on them, neither does the reader and these events take on, therefore, less significance. That is not to say that Faulks is implying that the deaths of the men were not important, but that there were so many of them, he could not possibly give an equal amount of description to each one.