Presentation Of Human Suffering In Faulks's 'Birdsong'

How does Faulks’ presentation of human suffering illuminate your understanding of “Birdsong”? 'Birdsong ', at the core of its narrative, contains an escalating presentation of suffering that is used to illuminate the extent of human depravity encountered in the First World War. Faulks continually deconstructs ideas about suffering to force the reader to contemplate its totality: he initially depicts suffering through a loss of emotion, when moving from the 1910s to the war period. This is heightened, in later war sections, into a complete loss of compassion and human empathy, reflecting the social and emotional transformation caused by World War One. Faulks dogma is defined by his structure, as he presents humankind’s inner callousness and

This idea is systematically integrated into Faulks’ writing from the outset, initially through Bérard’s singing when, “he fixed his eyes on Madame Azaire, who was opposite… She blushed and squirmed under his unblinking stare”. Faulks purposefully transforms this minor event into a symbolic metaphorical battle, using Bérard’s overpowering demeanour as a physical manifestation of Isabelle’s oppression. Faulks places the two characters “opposite” each other, creating two distinct sides of conflict whilst also implying an equality which is utterly disregarded, showing her lack of freedom. The combative tone is enhanced through the assonance of “unblinking” eyes that are “fixed” on Isabelle, creating an almost bestial quality to Bérard that is reminiscent of a creature circling its prey. The erotic connotations of Bérard’s physical and mental bullying create a grotesque image of Isabelle’s violation, reinforcing her oppression. Similarly, Bérard’s singing is, perversely, a serenade for Isabelle, subverting a romantic gesture into a verbal assault, which illuminates Azaire’s later physical beating of his wife in their bedroom, the setting of both Azaire’s impotence and Isabelle’s sensual power. Faulks’ violent, hyperbolical lexical focus shows how even a minor loss of freedom can cause untold suffering. He distills this suffering into a moment of physical and mental degradation when Isabelle is violated by Azaire, exemplifying the pattern of escalating suffering that Faulks applies throughout the