Memoirs of World War 1: The Memoirs of Robert Graves and Stefan Zweig

The memoirs of the first quarter of the life of Robert Graves contrasts with the memoirs of Stefan Zweig for several significant reasons, the most important being the fact that they were on opposing sides of the conflict. Zweig also did not participate in the war as a soldier, but as a writer, while Graves did not become a full fledged writer until the post-war years.

However, a similar scale of mentality can be found in both men because of their symbolic change of heart from the pre-war period to post-war. One of the keys to the story is undoubtedly a loss of innocence on the part of Graves. And the reason why the road to this conclusion is so eloquent is because the author is remarkably self-aware. He is in touch with all of his thoughts on all of the people who had a part in his experiences including how it affected them and most importantly, himself. He portrays his unique ability in his writing by announcing almost every subject that he is to speak on, and in my mind this also is directed to his memories; they are often so painful that he needs to make sure that they get their fair due.

The most general statements about the childhood of Robert Graves can be summed up in one word; pleasant. His parents never bullied him, he was fully encouraged to be as well-rounded a young man as he wished, and his parents were not even angered in his choice to defy organized religion. It is not difficult to see that these facts are reason enough why he found so much contrast in the dramatic and ultra-theatrical future of wartime. He believes that much of his early education was trivial. The schools at this period in history were filled with hierarchal structures that were often suited for prejudice as well as to hold onto their traditions that preserved the strict British class system.

In the social atmosphere of these schools he had trouble fitting into either side of the class system, which can be related to his ability to be uniquely self-aware. The wealthy elite thought less of him because of his German ancestry, and the working class students believed him of a higher pedigree because of his families' status in the community. It is not a mistake that he intentionally used the word "oppressed" in describing how he felt at prepatory school; because of the huge halls, rowdiness of the large population of boys, and random rules masquerading as tradition that he was never told but had to stand the consequences of breaking them.

Graves was an excellent young man; he never used alcohol and even signed a pledge that dictated that it was an evil and sinful practice to engage in. And he never seemed to lose all of his boyhood good temperament, as during the war years he refused to go to the brothels in Europe that served the military community, even "the nicer girls" as he calls them, and he took much flack for it. His thoughts on his German ancestry also project his sense of self-worth, "I admire my German relatives; they have high principles, are easy, generous, and serious" (5). He also mentioned their thoughts on England as they "always looked to England as the home of culture and progress" (5). Graves was shown some respect for these relatives, especially by the lower classes, because some had served under Britain as high army officials, one even as a general.

I believe that the most telling signs of the true sentiments of Graves and the other soldiers in his regiment and around him are to see what they are concerned about. As a child Graves' head was filled with stories and tall tales of war and glory, and it is obvious that he still holds these naïve beliefs when he joins the army because he is mainly concerned with the reputation of his chosen regiment; he even doesn't believe how he could bear it if his had a poor reputation. His fellow soldiers were also deeply concerned about the positively trivial aspects of serving in the military, and there is no mention until fairly deep in his tour of an actual weapons and strategy training session. Much of their training seemed to be primarily interested in tradition, not about real wartime issues or combat. The soldiers even spoke about who they thought were and were not going to receive medals at war's end.
The first stage of reality awareness for Graves seemed to be a realization of the severe ages of some of his fellow soldiers. He was noticeably affected that pretty much everyone lied about their age in order to be seen differently among their peers; some who said they were in their forties were actually in their fifties, in addition to the large number of stated eighteen years olds many of which were actually fourteen or fifteen. It is mind- boggling how an army made up of fifty year olds and teenagers could be effective on the battlefield.

Early in the days when he was seeing real combat, it is obvious that Graves was thrown emotionally by the feather-light fragility of human life. He mentions as his regiment comes closer to the front lines how unsettling it is to be exposed to gunfire. His unit commanders say that once you are able to hear the bullet, it has already missed so there is nothing to worry about. I feel that it is also telling how he uses the word "trench" or "trenches" in the book. It is used surprisingly often, so often that he must take time to explain what each of the trenches are, how they are utilized in battle, and how the living conditions are in each trench. I see the trench as a symbol of the World War Ι experience; it can be a metaphor for the damaging of the human soul during battles where the enemy is hardly ever seen and the allies are able to only advance feet ahead of them for a victory to be announced. The use of gas in the war, as well as the prevalence of gas masks points to a sort of existential enemy that both sides and Graves eventually face.

Eventually as Graves moves up in the ranks of the allies he witnesses firsthand the treatment of solders, and it was anything but humane. He told the story of a suicide that the army would not make official, soldiers that used their ammunition to boil water by just spraying the enemy with bullets, and especially the inability of most soldiers to remain religious in the slightest. And as his story moves on, especially as he becomes responsible for groups of troops, he finds himself speaking on the temperament, treatment, and emotional responses of soldiers while almost all of the superior officers he had at war's opening never spoke or probably thought of a soldier's life in the trenches. I find much of the treatment of soldier's in this capacity similar to the Stanley Kubrick film Paths of Glory (1957). The character played by Kirk Douglas begins to see the effects on his soldiers, but not fully until the end when they are forced to move out again after the injustice of their comrades' execution.

I believe that the letter that was written and sent by Siegfried is another turning point emotionally and more importantly, intellectually, for Graves on the general effects of war on humans. "I believe that the purposes for which I and my fellow-soldiers entered upon this war should have been so clearly stated as to have made it impossible to change them, and that, had this been done, the objects which actuated us would now be attainable by negotiation" (260). Graves said that army would see something like this as cowardice and almost the words of a traitor, but he saw it as significant change of heart.
The end of his memoirs is punctuated by change, as he finally made it to Oxford, but would not have the drive to finish it because everything just seemed different than the pre-war years, especially the school's atmosphere. He mentions the appearance of poverty-stricken veterans from time to time, and always gives them nourishment. And most importantly, the origin of the book's title, as he never wished to make England his home again after he left for good in 1929.

Works Cited

"Goodbye To All That" By Robert Graves