Testament of Youth Post

Submitted by Christopher Hol... on Mon, 01/28/2013 - 18:13

Vera Brittain's "Testament of Youth" most emphasizes the great difficulty Vera felt in communicating and identifying with people who had a more first hand experience of the war. this was most apparent to me when reading the passages concerning her relationship with Roland. In their letters, Vera and Roland share deep and emotional conversations. However, when they are reunited during time Roland has off-duty, Vera describes there initial meeting as follows, "Just as we had parted we shook hands without any sign of emotion," Here, the warmth seen in their letters is replaced by an uncomfortable awkwardness upon their meeting. This moment sets the tone for the rest of Vera's description of this visit, with very little signs of affection exchanged between the two. Vera even frames her own service as a nurse during the war as a sort of way of aiding Roland by proxy. Ultimately, Vera crafts an image of a relationship suffering great strain due to the war.

Comments

Lauren Mitchell

Mon, 01/28/2013 - 18:42

I thought this formality in their relationship was an interesting illustration of their society, just as their respective desires to rebel against social obligations ironically seemed to end in their conforming to them entirely.  They do not find it appropriate to kiss on the platform, or to show signs of affection in public, yet Brittain's writing consistently mocks those of her parents' generation for their stiff regulation of relationships and desire to control/curb young love.  It seems to me that both Vera's and Roland's parents seemed surprisingly lax in their attempt to control the young couple, and that any formality between them was self-imposed.  It's also interesting to note that their correspondence is far more emotionally charged than their physical interaction.

Micah Bolin

Mon, 01/28/2013 - 20:01

I too saw this as a very interesting interation. It really showed how much the war had taken its toll on these two people who truly cared for one another. It shows the dramatic effect it had on theirs live but it also gives you an idea of how it affected the other people around them in similar relationships.