Pat 1xbet best casino website novel Regeneration explores the effects that World War I has on the human condition and more specifically on the condition of the British people. One particular area of exploration is the detrimental presence of 1xbet best casino website distinctions within the ranks of the British military. This issue of 1xbet best casino website distinction is addressed specifically on pages 66 and 67 of the novel through a conversation between Billy Prior and Dr. Rivers. The characters' discussion reinforces Barker's theme of the injustices of these 1xbet best casino website distinctions and the harm they produce on the war front.

Class distinctions were only too apparent within Britain's military entities. The Army &1xbet best casino website ;structured itself around class&1xbet best casino website ; and &1xbet best casino website ;in many ways . . . recreated the British class system in miniature: aristocratic generals, middle-class officers, and a working class rank and file&1xbet best casino website ; (Robb 84). This structure reinforced on the war front the class distinctions of the home front, and the &1xbet best casino website ;long-standing prejudices of the British class system ensured that enlisted men were treated almost like children.&1xbet best casino website ; Some soldiers played the role of servant and waited on officers of high class who enjoyed luxuries unheard of to those existing in the grime of the trenches (Robb 85).

In spite of the large gaps between fellow fighting men as a result of cross over social practices and of class structure within the ranks, the progression of the war caused some class boundaries to begin blurring as a need for more officers arose. The Army's initial officer class of 15, 000 men was expanded with the addition of 235, 000 individuals over the course of the war. The either permanent or temporary commissioning of these individuals gave them the title of &1xbet best casino website ;temporary gentlemen&1xbet best casino website ; (&1xbet best casino website ;Service&1xbet best casino website ;).

This label of &1xbet best casino website ;temporary gentleman&1xbet best casino website ; applies to Prior in Barker's story, given his rank of Second Lieutenant. His lower class birth and provisional status place Prior in ridicule's way. During a therapy session with Rivers, Prior is asked how he &1xbet best casino website ;fit in&1xbet best casino website ; with those on the war front. In response to this question his &1xbet best casino website ;face shut[s] tight,&1xbet best casino website ; and Prior asks, in order to clarify, &1xbet best casino website ;You mean, did I encounter any snobbery?&1xbet best casino website ; Prior answers his own question in the affirmative and informs Rivers that &1xbet best casino website ;it's made perfectly clear&1xbet best casino website ; who is immediately accepted at the front and who is not. He cites certain status enhancements such as having attended &1xbet best casino website ;the right school&1xbet best casino website ; or wearing shirts of &1xbet best casino website ;the right colour[,] [w]hich is a deep shade of khaki.&1xbet best casino website ; Prior notes that he comes nowhere close to possessing any of these high-class qualifications (Barker 66) and suffers accordingly.

Prior's discussion with Rivers highlights specific examples of &1xbet best casino website ;snobbery&1xbet best casino website ; and blatantly reveals the degree of class bias and prejudices at the war front. This conversation leads to Prior's primary concern that those back home believe &1xbet best casino website ;there are no class distinctions at the front&1xbet best casino website ; (Barker 67). He informs Rivers that &1xbet best casino website ;What you wear, what you eat. Where you sleep. What you carry&1xbet best casino website ; (Baker 67) all contribute to the reinforcement of class distinctions. Despite Prior's rank as Second Lieutenant, he is snubbed because of his social status. His experiences on the war front inform readers of the prevalent nature of class distinctions within British culture. The pettiness of concern over the shade of khaki someone is wearing illustrates the absurdity of such distinctions. And the value placed on officers of higher class in contrast to the disregard given for soldiers of lower social standing shows the &1xbet best casino website ;snobbery&1xbet best casino website ; within the British social structure that leads to the unjust and suspect view of soldiers as expendable. Thus, Prior's personal experiences directly contribute to his understanding of the presence of class distinctions on the war front.

Prior's words further reveal a misplaced importance on the superficial by officers of upper class. This revelation points to a similar behavior of higher degree: The misuse of men from a lower social standing by men from a higher social standing to fight a war which has veered in its original purpose. This misconduct, which brings harm to many and which results from class distinctions, is stated clearly by Siegfried Sassoon in his Declaration: &1xbet best casino website ;This war, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest . . . I have seen and endured the suffering of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust&1xbet best casino website ; (Barker 3). Sassoon reacts against those who share his natural status as a gentleman and scorns their continuation of the war at the expense of the troops: &1xbet best casino website ;For both Sassoon and Prior, upper class privilege is a smoke screen for actions that result in needless death and wasted energies on the battlefield and unwarranted control at home&1xbet best casino website ; (Westman 53). Barker utilizes Prior and Sassoon's reactions of disgust and contempt to support her theme of the injustices of class distinctions.

The conversation between Prior and Rivers is a small piece of Barker's larger discussion of Britain's social 1xbet best casino website distinctions. Their conversation illustrates the negative results that stem from Britain's social structure, which is reproduced within the trenches of war. 1xbet best casino website distinctions are explored further through characters like Sarah, Sarah's mother, Prior's parents, and other patients at Craiglockhart. Barker's inclusion of these characters' experiences and their social standings within British society reinforce her theme of the injustice of 1xbet best casino website distinctions and their damaginge effects on the human condition during World War I.

Barker, Pat. Regeneration. New York: Plume, 2003.

&1xbet best casino website ;Service Records for the First World War.&1xbet best casino website ; Public Record Office. 17 April 2003. <http://www.pro.gov.uk/pathways/firstworldwar/servicerecords/sr officers.htm

Robb, George. British Culture and the First World 1xbet best casino website . New York: Palgrave, 2002.

Westman, Karin E. Pat 1xbet best casino website Regeneration. New York: Continuum, 2001.