“Journey’s End” by Robert Cedric Sherriff

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The story “Journey’s End” written by Robert Cedric Sherriff is a very successful play, which shows a very realistic picture of the War, its horrors, death, and struggle for freedom and against the common hostile forces. The play is dramatically shaped; it includes a great number of character sketches, an outstanding hero who is not deprived of human qualities and emotions, a great portion of humor, some recollections, a destructive culmination point, and a painful scene of death. The words of characters are clear and understandable; they reveal the theme of friendship, the importance of sacrifice, dignity, comradeship. The story of a play describes the basic human values, such as friendship, courage, love of life, friendship and comradeship, perfect willingness to come for help, the importance of mutual assistance and cooperation (Sherriff, 1993 IX-X).

Main body

The play is full of implicit symbolic meanings, which are used in stage directions during the play, with the help of use of symbolism and imagery with those directions. With the help of locations, furniture, different subjects, which are rather important scenes of the play, the horrors of war, and importance of cooperation are emphasized.

Thus the first scene describes a dugout, where “a wooden frame, covered with white netting, stands against the left wall and serves the double purpose of a bed and a seat for the table. A wooden bench against the back wall makes another seat, and two boxes serve for the other sides” (Sherriff 8). This description can serve as a sign of poverty during the War, as people were not living during this period of horrible events, but rather surviving. So, the main purpose was not luxurious place, but a place where everything was at hand, no extras were allowed, as even a wooden frame was used in double sense: a bed and a seat. The time of war actions committed people to such way of life.

But there can be observed another image full of domestic warmness and comfort: “Warm yellow candle flames light the other corner from the necks of two bottles on the table. Through the doorway can be seen the misty grey parapet of a trench and a narrow strip of starlit sky” (Sherriff 9). The images of this very extract are very symbolic from the point of view of presentation. The candle light is the image of mysterious events, romantic meetings, comfort of the hearth, and straight desire to stay alive. I believe here the latter symbol fits most, as the candle itself can be compared with a soldier who carries the burden of his own choice of defending the country where he lives, the stillness of this soldier while being at his post; he does not sleep at night in order to be ready for a severe battle.

While the candle is compared with a soldier, the ‘narrow strip of starlit sky’ can be seen through the doorway, and can serve as a symbol of hope for a better future, for a future without wars and conflicts. Besides, descriptions of nature can be considered a good sign, as the Mother Nature helps our forces to win the battle.

The place of the next act is the same, but the daylight came. “A pale shaft of sunlight shines down the steps, but candles still burn in the dark corner” (Sherriff 36). In spite of all conflicts and battles, during the peaceful times and during the war actions the soldier is still at his post; as the candles are burning in the dark corner, the soldiers are always ready to defend their motherland from different invasions of hostile forces. The total readiness of troops is observed during the war actions, as the candles are always ready to burn.

“The sunlight has gone from the dugout floor, but still shines brightly in the trench” (Sherriff 50). Such a description can be a sign of some changes, good or bad, pleasant and negative. The change of weather can be compared with the change of moods within the troops, the change of relationships between comrades, commanding officers or junior officers.

“The earth wall of the trench outside glows with a light that slowly fades with the sinking sun” (Sherriff 65). Here the image of the sunlight that disappears can be viewed from different points of view. From one side it can reflect the end of the war actions, the beginning of the peaceful life, because the next day would bring changes into the life of people, as the night brings counsel. From the other side it can be regarded as the defeat, the change for worth.

“The candles are no longer burning. The intense darkness of the dugout is softened by the glow of the very lights in the sky beyond the doorway. There is no sound except the distant mutter of the guns” (Sherriff 86). The candles are not burning as there is no necessity for them to be lit; all soldiers are now fighting in a severe struggle for their lives and lives of their comrades and relatives, for their motherland. The sound of guns confirms this thought.

Conclusion

The play is very interesting from the point of view of usage of implicit symbolic meanings. I think that soldiers are compared to the candles, as they are silent witnesses of the war actions. The imagery helps to show horrors of the War, the comradeship, importance of understanding and cooperation. Scenes are full of vivid symbols which help the reader to analyze the way of relations between comrades, to foresee the events of the next scene.

Works Cited

Sherriff, Robert Cedric, and Maureen Blakesley. Journey’s End. Heinemann plays. London: Heinemann, 1993.

Sherriff, Robert Cedric. Journey’s End. England: Penguin Books, 2000.

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“Journey’s End” by Robert Cedric Sherriff

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