Реферат: The Struggles Of Life Essay Research Paper
and feel better about themselves. Minna, like Robert, does not like the reality of the
surroundings. Minna tries her best to change that by bringing the poor woman, Elizabeth Doyle,
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home to let her sleep in a bed. Minna realizes that all that the people on the streets want is to be
noticed and not to be forgotten. The trauma of the horrors of life on Robert and Minna leads the
reader to believe that ?war? does have psychological effects on the individual. The character?s
physical and psychological accounts of war lead the characters on their own personal journey of
self-discovery. The horrors of war which Robert endures are instrumental in his psychological
change. In Robert?s final stand to declare the existence of life in the midst of death, he attempts
to save some horses from a burning barn:
Robert couldn?t stand it any longer and he said to
Devlin: ?I?m going to break ranks and save these
animals. Will you come with me?? Devlin wanted
to ? and said so. But he was afraid of Captain
Leather. ?Leather is insane,? said Robert flatly. ?It
cannot be called disobedience to save these animals
when they?ll be needed, for God?s sake.
(The Wars 201-202)
The importance of life to Robert is evident here as he breaks ranks in order to save the horses.
Disobeying an order in the army can lead to a Court Marshall, dishonorable discharge and even
worse the possibility of being accused of treason. However, these consequences pale in
comparison to the thought of more deaths. Throughout Robert?s time as a soldier in the army
during World War One he witnesses first hand the destruction of war. These horrors of war lead
to his psychological transformation which inevitably leads to his journey of self-discovery,
recognizing the importance of life in the midst of death. Minna comes to a conclusion along the
same lines as Robert. As Minna is dying of an inoperable cancer of the lung, she moves to
Australia. Her physical accounts of the horror in her life lead to the psychological change which
made her change location. She has a daughter now and does not want her to grow up with the
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