Explore the character Stanhope in Act One of Journey’s End, commenting on Sheriff’s presentation of him and the way in which he has obviously changed through the war
Journey’s End revolves around the protagonist, Stanhope. However it’s intriguing that Sheriff chooses to begin the play with an ordinary conversation between two men. Stanhope is one of the topics that Osborne and Hardy converse about frequently.
The first time that the audience would have laid eyes on Stanhope is over half way through Act 1, a significant decision made by Sherriff.
The drawn out entrance of Stanhope may be so that the audience can hear the opinions that Osborne and Hardy share about their young leader. What the audience learns through their conversation indicates a lot about Stanhope’s characteristics and his background.
We learn through this conversation that Stanhope has a contrasting character. It is obvious that Stanhope is a very dedicated soldier. A man who puts his men before himself; an inspiring trait for such a young man. He chooses to work over rest which shows the scale of his commitment. Being a soldier in the trenches of World War One was a very harrowing profession. The mental strain that these men felt must have been exhausting. Yet Stanhope pushes on, day after day.
It appears that Stanhope acts almost as a father to the men, despite his age. Osborne says that Stanhope is “looking after the men coming in” which is obviously a caring gesture to his men. A way of showing his support, like a father would to his son. This may be because he was never shown this support from his family, especially his father. He hasn’t visited home for nearly 3 years. Hardy believes this to be the case because “he didn’t think he was fit to meet papa”. This implies that his father would not approve of his drinking problem seen as he is a religious man.
A feeling of pathos is created when Hardy says this in my opinion. Stanhope doesn’t feel welcome in his own home which is away from the seemingly never-ending war. The only alternative Stanhope has is to poison himself with alcohol, a substance that numbs him to the point when he feels no fear or perhaps no feeling at all. He chooses not to visit home when he is granted leave. He chooses the monstrosity of war over his home, indicating how much Stanhope loathes his home. Hardy informs us that Stanhope’s father is “vicar of a country village”. Yet Hardy finds it hard to comprehend Stanhope as being part of this upper class background-“Imagine Stanhope spending his leave in a country vicarage sipping tea!” It appears that Stanhope’s present character does not conform to the life he used to have. This may be why Stanhope refuses to go home; war has changed him. He doesn’t belong anywhere else but the trenches.
On the other hand, Stanhope’s prolonged absence from home could show the scale of commitment that Stanhope possesses. He may feel that it is his duty to dedicate his energy and skills to the Great War, protecting his homeland from harm, a true hero and role model.

Stanhope’s lack of belonging outside of the trenches can explain why Stanhope sees Osborne as a father. Osborne reciprocates these feelings by treating Stanhope as his son. However this intimacy is only prominent when Stanhope is inebriated. But it’s said that the truth is spoken when under the influence of alcohol. At the end of Act 1 there is a touching scene between Osborne and Stanhope when Osborne puts Stanhope to bed. This is obviously a clear indication of the father-son relationship the two men share. Osborne says to Stanhope “Come and lie down and go to sleep, you’ve had a hard day” to which Stanhope replies “Go sleep y’self”. I think these quotes capture perfectly the relationship between them both. Osborne takes on the role of the father figure and Stanhope appears as if he is a stubborn teenager who wishes not to listen to his father even though he knows what’s best. But Osborne’s words are very soothing and soon