Abdu Lounici
Mr. Grant
ENG 4UI
Friday December 11 2015
Lending Hand
In life, many people commit actions which they later regret down the road, and in turn try changing their morals or lifestyles to compensate for their poor decision making. The novels Regeneration and Border Crossing written by Pat Barker both show that very different problems can have the same solution. In this case, Tom Seymour a child psychiatrist from the novel Border Crossing who is playing a very relatable role to that of Dr. Rivers the psychologist at the war hospital from Regeneration. Danny, a character out of Border Crossing is a young man convicted of murder as a child a decade in the past, who tries to bring an end to his miseries and to his instability by a …show more content…
Danny can also be represented by the damaged soldiers in Regeneration. In Regeneration, the soldiers came back from war as damaged goods as they have been under attack days on end, and still replay the moments with dead troop members, grenades exploding, and gunshots being fired atop their heads in which each second they can easily lose their life, or another comrade. Dr. Rivers knew how weak these men had become due to their overexposed and tortured minds: “Nothing justifies this. Nothing nothing nothing” (Barker 180). The fact that they are constantly exposed to danger and are in fear of losing their lives mentally destroys them resulting them to fall into their “shell-shocked” mental state and and that the government isn’t doing anything to help them is a part of the reason the Rivers decide to help them. In Danny’s case, he commits murder at the age of 10 and then proceeds to toy around with the corpse which right off of the bat tells the reader that he was a demented child and was mentally unstable. From there, he serves many years of detainment in a mental institution proceeded by jail time later. As a child, Danny was heavily resented by his father because he was far from perfect. Far from normal. He always fell victim to his father 's anger and explains: “I started getting the shit beat out of me. He had this big thick black belt. He used to keep …show more content…
Rivers feel the responsibility to correct the helpless peoples corrupted nature and renew them as properly functioning beings. After the repossession of the objectified and mentally battle-scarred soldiers, by the government’s orders, they are sent to Dr. Rivers in hopes to have their minds cleansed and trained to forget the traumas they have experienced, and later be redeployed to the same environment. Rivers believes that everyone should be given a chance, or if required, a second chance even to prove themselves and he continues his duty with the belief that "A society that devours its own young deserves no automatic or unquestioning allegiance." (Barker 249). Rivers comes into contact with many soldiers and successfully fulfills his duty many times in helping them with their rehabilitation. In Border Crossing, shortly after Danny is released from prison, he attempts to commit suicide only to be rescued by a man whom he comes to realize is the child psychologist that he once knew a decade ago. After their fated meeting, Tom comes to realize that Danny is still that troubled little kid from a long time ago and he openly offers him help. This time is different though, instead of offering him help on the professional level, he offers his help as a friend. In parallel to the situation of Regeneration, to have a better understanding of why certain events may have taken place, or why certain actions may have been
Mr. Grant
ENG 4UI
Friday December 11 2015
Lending Hand
In life, many people commit actions which they later regret down the road, and in turn try changing their morals or lifestyles to compensate for their poor decision making. The novels Regeneration and Border Crossing written by Pat Barker both show that very different problems can have the same solution. In this case, Tom Seymour a child psychiatrist from the novel Border Crossing who is playing a very relatable role to that of Dr. Rivers the psychologist at the war hospital from Regeneration. Danny, a character out of Border Crossing is a young man convicted of murder as a child a decade in the past, who tries to bring an end to his miseries and to his instability by a …show more content…
Danny can also be represented by the damaged soldiers in Regeneration. In Regeneration, the soldiers came back from war as damaged goods as they have been under attack days on end, and still replay the moments with dead troop members, grenades exploding, and gunshots being fired atop their heads in which each second they can easily lose their life, or another comrade. Dr. Rivers knew how weak these men had become due to their overexposed and tortured minds: “Nothing justifies this. Nothing nothing nothing” (Barker 180). The fact that they are constantly exposed to danger and are in fear of losing their lives mentally destroys them resulting them to fall into their “shell-shocked” mental state and and that the government isn’t doing anything to help them is a part of the reason the Rivers decide to help them. In Danny’s case, he commits murder at the age of 10 and then proceeds to toy around with the corpse which right off of the bat tells the reader that he was a demented child and was mentally unstable. From there, he serves many years of detainment in a mental institution proceeded by jail time later. As a child, Danny was heavily resented by his father because he was far from perfect. Far from normal. He always fell victim to his father 's anger and explains: “I started getting the shit beat out of me. He had this big thick black belt. He used to keep …show more content…
Rivers feel the responsibility to correct the helpless peoples corrupted nature and renew them as properly functioning beings. After the repossession of the objectified and mentally battle-scarred soldiers, by the government’s orders, they are sent to Dr. Rivers in hopes to have their minds cleansed and trained to forget the traumas they have experienced, and later be redeployed to the same environment. Rivers believes that everyone should be given a chance, or if required, a second chance even to prove themselves and he continues his duty with the belief that "A society that devours its own young deserves no automatic or unquestioning allegiance." (Barker 249). Rivers comes into contact with many soldiers and successfully fulfills his duty many times in helping them with their rehabilitation. In Border Crossing, shortly after Danny is released from prison, he attempts to commit suicide only to be rescued by a man whom he comes to realize is the child psychologist that he once knew a decade ago. After their fated meeting, Tom comes to realize that Danny is still that troubled little kid from a long time ago and he openly offers him help. This time is different though, instead of offering him help on the professional level, he offers his help as a friend. In parallel to the situation of Regeneration, to have a better understanding of why certain events may have taken place, or why certain actions may have been