Generals Die In Bed Analysis

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Comparing the diary of Deward Barnes in “It Made You Think of Home” and Charles Yale Harrison’s “Generals Die in Bed” gives deeper insight into what life on the frontlines of World War I was like. While Barnes’ journal provides an immediate first-hand account, Harrison’s novel gives greater detail of the experiences of the average soldier. The descriptions of life in the trenches are more vivid in Harrison’s novel, and the emotions of the soldiers involved are more prevalent. The actual battles in Harrison’s novel shows that they were more terrifying than even Barnes’ journal depicts. Harrison, who wrote his novel several years after the end of the First World War, is able to show these things without the pressures that Barnes had while writing his journal. In “It Made You Think of Home” Bruce Cane often had to add to Barnes’ journal entries, providing more detail than Barnes’ was able to, whereas, Harrison was able to provide a more complete, systematic approach to the war.??? While both books give the reader a new perspective, Harrison’s novel provides a far more vivid portrayal of life on the front lines.…show more content…
Both Barnes and Harrison wrote of going days without eating. In Barnes’ journal, Barnes wrote “No eats. That made our third day without anything to eat, not a bite.”(Cane 91), and Harrison wrote “No food. Promises. We are doubtful but we have no alternative but to wait.”(Harrison 125). The scarcity of food leads the soldiers to fight amongst themselves. The food provided to the soldiers would be split between groups, and Harrison wrote of a fight over bread. The tensions amongst soldiers is entirely missing from Barnes’ journal, and Harrison’s novel provides a detailed view of how the lack of food would affect the

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