Robert Graves Good Bye To All That

World War 1 shattered the innocence of many people. The constant shelling, trench warfare, and death left many people broken and with shell shock. Robert Graves was no exception. In his book Good-Bye to All That, the war makes him lose his respect for the cowardly English authority. His religion goes with him to the trenches but was one of the fatalities. Finally, his secrecy and embarrassment of private matters become his ammunition and never return after they leave his gun. However, a value for bravery and loyalty sprouts within him. The violence of war nurtures his newfound stoicism. Finally, the blood of his fallen friends feeds his honesty. In Good-Bye to All That, Robert Graves suppresses the values of a prep-school kid during World War 1 and replaces them with new ones he found while fighting in the trenches. Graves finds the etiquettes of war trivial and ironic, which causes him to lose respect for the authorities that enforce them. Since Graves and his friends will fight in one of the most …show more content…
Graves’ reputation and all his embarrassments will be preserved in black ink, but he decides to write honestly anyway. He reveals his love for Dick without hesitation and matter-of-factly, “I fell in love with a boy three years younger than myself” (48). His experiences in war made him numb to regret and shame. Thus, Graves can express his thoughts, emotions, and beliefs accurately and honestly. Graves even admits to being a virgin, and on his wedding night, his embarrassments in bed are “eased by an air raid” (273). Most men would not want people to know about the despair of their love lives, but since Graves tells it openly, he is also most likely honest during the rest of the autobiography. Graves’ young persona refused to break away from society’s norm, and no one would know if he did. Those actions are in stark contrast to war-tempered Graves who frankly does not car