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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