Love Between Men

In Regeneration love/relationships between men is a theme which runs throughout the novel, and links closely to the theme of emasculation.

            “ ‘After all you’ve got this enormous emphasis on love between men – comradeship – and everybody approves. But at the same time there’s always this little niggle of anxiety. Is this the right kind of love?’” Page 204, middle of page.

            Rivers says this to Sassoon during his rounds on the night before Sassoon is to go see the Board. This quote highlights the difficulty in any sort of male-male relationship during the war. As a soldier, it is one’s duty to protect your fellow men, and to care for them. However, this camaraderie during wartime always carries some discomfort with it because there is such a thin line between what is and isn’t appropriate. This issue with male-male relationships could possibly cause feelings of guilt or confusion in men after they return from war, faced with the realities of civilian society.

            “Rivers had often been touched by the way in which young men, some of them not yet twenty, spoke about feeling like fathers to their men. Worrying about socks, blisters, food, hot drinks. And that perpetually harried expression of theirs. […] It was the look of people who are totally responsible for lives they have no power to save.” Page 107, middle.

            Despite social issues related to male-male relationships, the bonds formed in wartime between soldiers are extremely strong. The responsibility that they assume for the lives of their fellow men is an act of selfless responsibility somewhat on the level of a mother’s instinct to protect her children. Rivers’s reflects that these soldiers do not have the power to save their comrades. This emphasises the complete and utter selflessness of this “love” between soldiers – though the men must know that all the concern, care and protection in the world will not save their comrades in the end, they still feel bound to give themselves to the cause.

            “ ‘I didn’t seem able to feel…well, any of the things you were supposed to feel. It got so bad I used to walk all night sometimes. […] The book was a life saver. Because I suddenly saw that…I wasn’t just a freak. That there was a positive side.’

            […]

            ‘You know, I realise Ross’s caution probably seems excessive. To you. But I hope you won’t be in too much of a hurry to dismiss it. There’s nothing more despicable than using a man’s private life to discredit his views.’ ” Page 54/55, top of both pages.

            This is the first instance in Regeneration where we encounter a suggestion of Sassoon’s homosexuality, indeed, homosexuality in general. Neither Rivers nor Sassoon directly mention the subject at hand, rather, they tiptoe around the issue, not wanting to be blunt and straightforward. However, they both know exactly what they are talking about. Sassoon is speaking about The Intermediate Sex a book by Edward Carpenter, which addresses issues with homosexuality.

 

           

Carpenter believed that homosexuality was innate and should not be classed as a sin. A strong advocate of sexual freedom, Carpenter wrote several pamphlets on the subject including Sex Love and Its Place in a Free Society (1894), Women and her Place in a Free Society (1894), Marriage in a Free Society (1894) and Homogenic Love and Its Place in a Free Society (1895). 

George Merrill moved in with Carpenter at his home in Baslow. After the House of Commons passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act that made all homosexual acts illegal, Carpenter had to abandon his campaign for sexual tolerance. In 1908 Carpenter returned to this theme with his book Intermediate Sex. Although the book created a great deal of hostility it had a strong influence on literary figures such as Siegfried Sassoon, D. H. Lawrence and E. M. Forster. 

 (Source: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/TUcarpenter.htm)

 

            Though homosexuality is not directly addressed within the novel, it appears as an undercurrent when relationships between men are discussed. Reactions to homosexuality, even the mere suggestion of it were extreme during wartime. This is important to Sassoon’s personal development. Due to his homosexuality, he will always be an outcast, both in society and in the trenches. It can be argued that this will be more of an issue in the trenches than out of them. If Sassoon were openly homosexual, much of the camaraderie experienced between soldiers during war would not be permitted to him – fellow soldiers may have misunderstood his intentions when he showed concern or affection for them.

            “Graves hesitated. ‘It’s only fair to tell you that…since that happened my emotions have been running in more normal channels […] The…only reason I’m telling you this is…I’d hate you to have any misconceptions. About me. I’d hate you to think I was homosexual even in thought. Even if it went no further.’ ” Page 199, middle.

            This revelation from Graves would have sent Sassoon into a confused state of mind, which is evidenced a few pages later when he next encounters Rivers. For someone as close to him as Graves to denounce homosexuality to Sassoon would have caused further conflict with Sassoon’s self image. If his best friend cannot accept it, who will? Sassoon’s homosexuality seems that it will always be a barrier that separates him from the outside world. This seems to frustrate him, and causes him to rebel against the secrecy surrounding homosexual individuals, leading Rivers to chastise him (page 55) and even lecture him like a father would (page 205). 

feel free to comment with any things I should add/change :) 

-Chris