These soldiers drink A LOT. Its kind of unbelievable. I would say they are alcoholics. I think this is again a shot at the army. I feel like the book can be an argument that war causes alcoholism in the soldiers. I feel therapy is not necessarily something soldiers would flock to. Therapy seems weak and unnecessary to them, they can deal with their own problems, when really the majority of soldiers probably need therapy after seeing combat. This can be supported by all of Bartle’s suicidal thoughts and general psychological trauma caused by the war. Kathleen posted an article about how suicide is taking more lives than the war itself and I feel like therapy could help cut this down. I think that drinking can lead to suicidal thoughts and suicide itself (
http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/99/1/57.full
). Bartle shows this when he arrives back home to Virginia. He constantly has some bottle in his hand and drinks so much that he stumbles into a river and hallucinates about a horse and almost drowns. Another instance of this insane drinking is in Germany, when he blackouts at the bar and then wakes up AND STARTS DRINKING AGAIN. That is definitely a telltale sign of an alcoholic. Even the highly (militarily) praised Sgt. Sterling is annihilated at this bar and punches a prostitute in the face and threatens Bartle. I think the alcoholism in the book showcases the devastating effects of war on and off the battle field. The soldiers are almost forced to drink because of the things they see and experience on the battlefield, the alcohol becomes an escape for them, but it also increases their risk of suicide because alcohol is after all, a depressant. Its a vicious cycle that Powers illustrates with no filter and it adds another reason why war is hell.
January 21, 2013
January 22, 2013 at 4:29 pm
Interesting post Bennett. Its such a hard topic to unravel because of this “vicious cycle” you referred to. Obviously, the soldiers get so traumatized and worked up on the battlefield and need an escape. Therefore, in search for a way to simply relax and catch a break they turn to alcohol. However, as Bennett stated, then the alcohol increases their risk of suicide.
I think the idea of drinking to relieve stress is common of most humans even outside of the war. I feel like it is very common for adults to come home after a stressful day of work and simply have a glass of wine. However, just like everything, things have to be kept in moderation. Too much of one thing is never good, even if alcoholism is not in your blood. While I come from a family tree with several alcoholics and I like to think I kinda know about how it all works, I am still not very informed on these matters so it is a tender subject to discuss. However, I think a lot can be said about the specific instances of drinking and alcohol in this novel. Bennett refers to times when Bartle is drinking and acts like a dumbass. I think that one thing is for certain and that is that too much alcohol makes anyone do pretty stupid things. This refers back to my idea that everything has to be kept in moderation. Soldiers jobs are so much harder than we have any idea. They deserve all rights to come back from these impossibly hard days and have a drink. However, does this difficult job give them permission to be wasted all the time? I believe it is definitely a coping mechanism but at the same time it makes them look foolish and in my opinion takes away from their reputation as a noble soldier.
January 22, 2013 at 8:19 pm
I agree that moderation is key, especially when there are lives on the line. In our anatomy class, we have learned that alcohol basically impairs the brain with our motor functions. It takes more than twice the amount of time to do anything under the influence. However, those who have been drinking are actually under the impression that how they are functioning is completely normal. Therefore, I agree that for the sake of safety, soldiers should not drink while on duty. Of course, it seems that it is the only way to temporarily forget what is happening at the current moment, but quick reflexes and a sharp mind will give soldiers a higher chance of dodging death if they are on their guard. That is very interesting to bring up alcohol since generally when we think of the effects war, it usually is mainly post-tramatic stress or physical damage. Alcoholism can be a horrible addiction, which can only lead to total complacency and a vulnerable mind.
January 22, 2013 at 11:25 pm
I agree that the consumption of alcohol is a bit excessive. One thing I would add is that perhaps the writer is using alcohol as a way to tell the reader that something else is going on in this story that we don’t yet know about. Because this story isn’t written in chronological order, Sterling and Bartle could have some deep dark secret that we haven’t figured out yet and that would contribute to their desire to drown out any anxiety with some booze. There are other parts in the book that point towards some kind of bad thing happening, other than Murph’s death, that has already happened in the scenes where the soldiers are getting drunk but has not been revealed to the reader yet. This excessive drunkenness is probably also, like you said, a commentary on the stress a career in the military would put on someone and serves as a temporary coping mechanism for the main characters who need to come to terms with the things they have seen and done.
January 22, 2013 at 11:33 pm
I understand the need for an escape from the constant violence and terrors of the war. Maybe soldiers use alcohol as their way to feel numb and if it gets to truly excessive amounts to just forget everything that just happened anyways. The idea that maybe soldiers don’t remember everything from battle kind of makes my questions if there are parts of the story we are truly missing and will never get back?
Of course I think that moderation is the key to this problem, but is that even realistic to ask of a soldier? If they are stuck in the machine of war, shouldn’t they be allowed the freedom to consume as they would want? Yes, it can develop into a problem, but would you really want to take away something else from them?
January 22, 2013 at 11:41 pm
There’s no questioning that these soldiers drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol but (and I’m in no way condoning the drinking) it’s not really surprising is it? After all, they’ve been through some pretty messed up shit. They’ve done and seen things that would destroy any person, so it’s not surprising that they look for comfort, and maybe even some form of absolution, at the bottom of a bottle. You’re definitely right that most of these guys aren’t the personality types to embrace therapy under normal conditions, but another important aspect is that these aren’t normal conditions. There are no therapists! Most of the time they are smack dab in the middle of a war zone, and Bartle couldn’t exactly seek therapy while in Germany. Of course they could get help when they return home, but like you said, they’re not the type of guys to embrace stretching out on a couch and talking to a stranger about their feelings. I think they’re just looking for any form of release from the pain and memories that constantly follow them, and drinking is one of the easiest ways to do that. They don’t expect the booze to fix anything, they just don’t want to feel all the emotions that surround them while they’re sober. Like you said, it’s a cycle and the booze will only make everything worse, but it seems like it might offer at least some form of temporary relief from their demons. It’s like they’re willing to look to anything for help, and let’s face it, a bar is a whole lot easier to find than a therapist. Therapists are usually really expensive and a lot of these guys probably couldn’t afford to see one on a regular basis, but it’s pretty freaking easy to walk into a bar and order a drink. Or to drink at home. Or anything in between. This is really sad because you guys are right, the booze is only going to make things worse.
After all, it almost leads to Bartle killing himself! Therapy would help them much more than drinking ever could, but it doesn’t seem like a realistic tool because of its lack of availability and because these guys probably wouldn’t want it even if they had access.