How Does Faulks Present Hope In Birdsong

Sebastian Faulks describes in his novel using explicit detail., Birsong, the effects of the first world war and how it both physically and mentally caused hardship for all those involved, primarily for the soldiers. War, depicted as gruesome and realistic because of the 'dehumanisation' of men since soldiers are loosing their sense of what it means to be human. Despite all this brutality however, there are moments within the novel where hope has not completely tarnished. The men still appear to have their sense of humanity.

Weir, terrorised by an eerie noise like 'continuous moaning' following the 'silence' of gunfire during part three of the novel. These phrases depict what Stephen seemingly assumes as the Earth 'groaning' and the soil 'protesting'. …show more content…
He may have developed it into Birdsong because the gloom and apprehension is perhaps the 'face value' of the emotions the characters feel, but there is an underlying message of anticipation and promise of survival no matter how extreme the circumstances. 1 Birdsong, is inspired perhaps by the yellow canary which appears in part four, and it is a powerful symbol of hope within the novel.

Faulks may have selected a yellow canary because this colour connotes light. Light is associated with hope and rebirth. Stephen however is still weary of this canary despite the first impressions of it’s gentle and gleamy aura. It is only when he reaches out to grasp it, that he must 'lunge for it' as the bird becomes violent. It's battering wings, representing freedom and the strength to fight, brush his hand and it flies past him, to which Stephen screams as he is so fearful perhaps because it has the capacity to fight for it's freedom whereas these soldiers …show more content…
These letters are all deeply personal, building on character development as we have a more sincere insight towards the emotions that the soldiers have. The young soldier, Private Tipper (aged fifteen when he first signed up to join the war) writes a letter home to his parents, and his prose appears to be young, yet wise with experience. His informal speech presents innocence, and that he still values home. He misses it, as much of these soldiers do. However, he appears to have accepted the fact that me may not ever see his family again. He tells his parents not to worry about him, and that he is not 'frightened' of what awaits. Though this does create a slight sense of dehumanisation, considering it is deemed natural for the young to fear death, there is also strength within Tipper's character. He has grown and matured, even if his dialogue still sounds naïve, he appreciates his life back home, and there is no sign of utter despair as he still fights to not let his parents

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