How War Traumatizes Individuals in the English Patient

How War Traumatizes Individuals in the English Patient

  • Submitted By: vane23
  • Date Submitted: 03/20/2009 9:34 AM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1192
  • Page: 5
  • Views: 1131

During war soldiers are seen fighting bravely for their countries. With the sound of shots and the pounding of missiles going off, lives are lost and conflicts are resolved. However, when the fighting seems to be over, for some, the memories of the affected individuals last a lifetime and its effects extend into states of depression and individuals living a whole new life. Anthony Minghella’s film, The English Patient is centered around the events of World War II, but it focuses on the personal experiences of war of the three main characters and, in doing so, portrays war as an endeavor that results not in glory, but destruction and, in the end, betrayal to those who take part. The main premise Minghella wanted to show through the film is that war traumatizes many individuals. The protagonists of the film being Hana, Caravaggio and Almásy are all going through the suffering that comes with war, which is very painful for them all. You will be shown when war occurs, how life changes and will never be the same again; that war causes people to be suspicious of each other and how life and death in The English Patient is separated by as little as a second. War takes a negative toll on individuals not just mentally but emotionally as well. The protagonists in The English Patient are a perfect example of how war traumatizes individuals.
When war occurs, life changes and is not the same again. The characters in The English Patient change after the war. Hana would constantly remember how her friend Jan dies after diving on a mine. Caravaggio suffers always from the memories of the day when he had his thumbs cut off. The physical wounds from war possibly will heal with time but the emotional memories hurt too severely that one cannot forget them forever. Hana remembers Caravaggio as having been a sociable and confident man, but the war and the torture have broken his spirit. Almásy’s cannot live without covering up his identity and he questions his life, “Why are you so...

Similar Essays