Why did isabella leave stephen in birdsong

How does her departure affect his identity as a soldier, the way he approaches the war, and the manner in which he conducts himself during it? What premonitions of war and death does Faulks give us in the section of the book?

Where and when does Stephen have visions of death within the lush beauty of prewar Picardy? Where and to what purpose does Faulks use images of birds?

Why does Stephen fear birds, and what do birds symbolize for him? What do they seem to mean to the author? While staying with the Azaires, Stephen writes, "I am driven by a greater force than I can resist.

I believe that force has its own reason and its own morality even if they may never be clear to me while I am alive" [p. Where else in the novel does Stephen sense that sort of force, and how does he respond to it? How would you describe the character of Jack Firebrace? How does it change during the course of the war? What "dies" in him when Horrocks hurls his cross away? What do his letters to Margaret reveal about his character, his values, his code of behavior?

The soldiers tend to forget very quickly the names and characters of their friends who die. Do you find this shocking? I would blow my own head off with one of these grenades" [p. Throughout the war, Stephen feels a real hatred for the enemy—see page , for example.

Do you believe that this hatred is genuine, or that Stephen has persuaded himself of it so as to give meaning and order to his existence? How does the fact that it is German soldiers who ultimately rescue him change his life—and theirs?

Stephen is a brooding and enigmatic figure who is repeatedly described as "cold" by the narrator. Is Stephen a cold character? How do the other soldiers see him [on pages , , and ]? When Gray asks Stephen whether he would give his life for his men, Stephen answers in the negative [p.

Do you think he would give the same answer if he were asked this question during the last year of the war? What keeps him going during the war [pp. Do you think that the war changes Stephen? In the life of the trenches, Stephen reflects, "There was only violent death or life to choose between; finer distinctions, such as love, preference, or kindness, were redundant" [p.

Do you find that the soldiers have really lost their sense of finer distinctions? How did it change our ideas of military glory and our vision of our military leaders?

Stephen and Weir enjoy an unlikely but intense friendship. What emotional need does Stephen fill in his turn for Weir? The soldiers "were frightening to the civilians because they had evolved not into killers but into passive beings whose only aim was to endure" [pp. How do civilians, in general, treat and respond to these soldiers? Have soldiers from later wars, such as the conflict in Vietnam, reported similar experiences and attitudes? Why do you think that Stephen displays such an overpowering will to survive, in spite of the loneliness of his life and the unhappiness he has undergone?

What elements and events of his life have contributed to his instinct for self-preservation? Elizabeth is spurred on in her research by a feeling of the "danger of losing touch with the past" [p. Does her ignorance of recent history surprise you, or do you find it characteristic of her generation? Do you find that you, and the people around you, are similarly detached from the past? The climax to the novel details another underground skirmish after which Stephen and one of the miners are entombed for several days in one of the mine chambers.

The time span and his eventual escape stretch the imagination to a point almost beyond belief, but the detail is, apparently, based upon a well-documented event. Of course, Elizabeth Benson does find out all about her grandfather's life, but the details are for the reader to discover.

A compelling book, Birdsong is full of passion and pathos, of tenderness and brutality, of love and hatred. It is neither anti-war nor heroic, but is an exceptionally well-written narrative, a fitting tribute to all who served in the Great War. It should grace the bookshelves of all WFA members. Do read it! You will not regret doing so. This is the journal of The Western Front Association and is available to all to all members, including the entire archive via their Member Login].

Select Address. Please enter your sortcode and account number below. We will check that your account details are correct and that your bank account will allow direct debits. Validate Bank Details Continue. Thank you, your item has been added to the basket. Please select an option below to continue. Rene is employed by a textile factory, and lives an outwardly happy, middle class existence with his much younger wife.

Both Rene and Isabelle are unhappy in their marriage, however, and soon Stephen and Isabelle engage in an affair. This domestic discord is set against the political discord of unhappy industrial workers, who eventually go on strike. Isabelle eventually reveals the relationship with Stephen to her husband.