In The Pink presents the same strongly antiwar theme as most of Siegfried Sassoon’s poems do. However, the message he conveys is subtle. It does not entirely depict the gruesome horrors of war, but rather the impact of war on every soldier and his loved ones. The poem follows the thoughts of a soldier, Davies. War has broken out, and the persona is reminiscing life back then when he was living with his lover, Gwen. The poem is set in a barn during winter as evident from stanza 1. The situation seems desperate for the persona as he “scrawled his name” while thinking of his lover.
Even the warmth he has obtained from the “rum and tea” had been paid. War has separated the persona from his lover, and he longs for her. But despite all the negativity, he c
...ontinues to maintain hope. As time passes, he wishes he could reunite with her someday. However, his hope and passion is diminished as the night wears through. The persona is “stiff in the dark”, as if like a corpse. The persona, although not physically dead, but seem to have been killed spiritually from his detachment with Gwen. He cannot help but to remember his past when he was with her.
His life appears almost idyllic, but the thoughts of the current, grim state is almost still lingering in his mind. The “best suit” he desires to be in can be related to a corpse in its “best suit”. This just proves to us that war has certainly the power to disrupt and take control of one’s life. The persona continues thinking. Now, however, he is brought back to
the reality of the situation. He loses all hope of returning back to Gwen. The suddenness of war, which has led to his separation, has changed him.
He is no longer a passionate, loving man, but a soldier consumed in negativity. The persona is definite that he will “die” and he knows that he will never be able to be with Gwen again. In the end, he has no longer any meaning in life. The impacts of war are tragic. Siegfried does not focus on the terrific high mortality rates, but the loss of a soldier’s kin, which is as ruthless as death itself. Davies, the subject, because of his separation with his loved one, Gwen, which brought about the disruption of his almost idyllic past, has ultimately made him lose all meaning in life.
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