Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about how soldiers and their loved one’s deal or cope with the ever pressing presence of death on their daily lives. What brought me to thinking about this is Stuart D. Lee’s play “The Ghosts May Laugh” which I have been reading over the last week. The play focuses on four World War I soldiers; Jones Jenkins Lewis and Saunders, who begin a story telling contest as a way to pass time in their trench. Through these stories we see a glimpse of how each character deals with death in their own unique ways. What struck me the most in the play was Jones outlook on life and living for he simply believed that he would never make it out of the war alive.
No really, I’ve seen it so many times in my dreams, that I’m convinced. I’ll be in an attack, and I’ll end up in a trench, one of their trenches. And I’ll find myself standing face to face with this German, and he is armed with a rifle and a bayonet. Only I haven’t got anything you see. So I know he is going to kill me. I know that in a few seconds he is going to stick the bayonet into me, and twist it. (49)
I feel almost sympathetic for Jones and his ultimate fear, having to wake up every morning and face death in the eye can easily drive a man insane. Today these kind of fears can be no different for soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. The ever looming question of is this war ever going to end? On Thursday the war in Afghanistan passes the 8-year mark. 8-years… that is longer than any other conflict the US has been involved in besides the Vietnam War and the American Revolution. With all the other related issues going on in the middle east such as Iran’s nuclear testing and the debates on capitol hill over if more troops should be sent to Afghanistan to fulfill General McCrystals requests what hope can our soldiers really hold onto that they will ever make it home alive?
“The Ghosts May Laugh” Stuart D. Lee
eight years….. has it really been that long? Now come to think of it, I remember listening to the declaration of war in T.V when I was in middle school. I guess you never really think about it in that context, but eight years seems very unreal. Therefore, I think you pose a great question when you ask…. How do soldiers feel about being in conflict for eight years? I mean think about it, men and women are on their 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th tours. Imagine the frustration that many of these people feel when they keep returning to the same conflict that does not seem to be making any progress.
Along with posing this idea of prolonged conflict, I also like how you integrated the characters for The Ghosts May Laugh. While the story comes from a different war during a different time period, I think that you are right when you say that their thoughts and ideas are very similar. The characters’ fears, frustrations, and question probably resemble that of soldiers today. So I have to ask, do you think that knowledge can be gained by listening to what veterans are telling us through stories and narrations? I mean they were the ones who faced the conflict first hand. It is not too far fetched to suggest that what they say is credible and important to listen to.
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