War and The Human Psyche
The experience of war places stresses on the human spirit that can scarcely be imagined in peacetime. Dilemmas that can be largely avoided in time of peace must be faced in a time of war. Concern for one’s own physical safety is often at odds with concern for the wellbeing of one’s countrymen. The dictates of the mind often fight the dictates of the emotions. In such a tug of war situation, where practical and moral factors align themselves in strange and ironic patterns, it is hardly surprising that individuals respond in highly divergent ways. In this paper, the dangers that war poses to the human psyche will be considered and an attempt will be made to account for the some of the variability that can be seen in the way in which individuals respond to these threats.An examination of two books suggests that certain character traits help inoculate people in time of war, better enabling them to withstand the assaults of war. It also suggests that the absence of certain traits makes people vulnerable when they are placed in threatening circumstances. In examining two literary works: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje three character traits that were necessary i
He collaborates with the Germans, dooming thousands in the desert to torture and death. She risks death on a daily basis as she fulfils her duties in a villa that the Germans left full of mines and booby traps. She returns to Canada, completely distrustful of human relationships. Faith, courage and loyalty provide a necessary framework for moral thought and action, enabling the soul to survive even under the adverse conditions presented by war. At times she is completely overwhelmed with her sorrow and sense of helplessness. Lewis explains how worrying about the future and taking precautions against the dangers of war tend to undermine courage. Charged with the unenviable task of diffusing bombs, he survives against all odds through a combination of resourcefulness and a great ability to concentrate. A man’s tendency to focus on the immediate and the personal at the expense of the universal threatens his ability to survive in any spiritual sense. He possesses many admirable qualities, traits that should have enabled him to withstand the assaults of war with integrity. They help compensate for her frailties, giving her something greater than her self to live for during the dreary spring of 1945. But when these two abandon her, she has no faith in anything but herself to fall back on. Hana finds herself in an extremely vulnerable position as she faces her post-war future.
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