Comradeship in James Hanleys The German Prisoner, Ernest Hemingways F

Comradeship in James Hanley's "The German Prisoner", Ernest Hemingway's "Farewell to Arms", "Not So Quiet", "All Quiet on the Western Front", and Pat Baker's "Regeneration" For many soldiers and volunteers, life on the fronts during the war means danger, and there are few if any distractions from its horrors. Each comradeship serves as a divergence from the daily atrocities and makes life tolerable. Yet, the same bonds that most World War literature romantically portrays can be equally negative. James Hanley’s â€Å"The German Prisoner†, shows the horrifying results of such alliances, while â€Å"Farewell to Arms† by Ernest Hemmingway reveal that occasionally, some individuals like Lieutenant Henri seek solidarity outside the combat zone. Smithy of â€Å"Not So Quiet† and Paul Baumer in â€Å"All Quiet on the Western Front† demonstrate the importance and advantages of comradeship while giving credence to the romance of these connections. Pat Barker’s â€Å"Regeneration† depicts Siegfried Sassoon, as an officer who places comradeship and honor above his own personal anti war convictions. Regardless of t he consequences, each demonstrates not only the different results of comradeship but also its power and level of importance to each character in the abovementioned writings. James Hanley provides an uncommon perspective of comradeship that contrasts the usual romantic representations by other World War 1 writers. Elston is from Manchester, England, a poor industrial city and O’Garra is from the impoverished town of Dublin, Ireland (48). Both men enlist in the service to escape their poverty and squalid environments. O’Garro is physically repulsive and the more aggressive of the two but loathes Elston who contrasts him in disposition and phys... ...ing it had hardened†¦Siegfried’s ‘solution’ was†¦going back†¦to look after some men†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (249). This was the truth! Sassoon, still disillusioned, returns to the front out of a strong sense of obligation and honor. Comradeship disrupts Sassoon’s resistance and allows his passionate protest to quell. Overall, these works reveal the broad effects of comradeships. Some, like â€Å"The German Prisoner† are potentially dangerous alliances and can be negative. Conversely, comradeship similar to that of Paul Baumer and Kat, and Smithy and the other volunteers, allow the reader to explore the resultant intimacy of comradeships between people of similar and different backgrounds. Still other bonds similar to Henri’s and Catherine’s shun traditional comradeship and all its romantic ideals. Finally, it is Hemmingway who shows the power that comradeship wields over a soldier.