Generals Die In Bed

How are the soldiers’ relations with women and other civilians depicted in the novel? What are some of the significant contrasts between civilian life and military life in the text?

The novel examines the strict, hierarchical nature of the military. How does the narrator conceive of the differences between common soldiers like himself and his commanding officers? What does the novel suggest about the nature of the military?

Closely examine and analyze the novel’s narrative and literary techniques. What techniques does Harrison use in the telling of the story? How do these techniques help illustrate characterization and/or key themes and ideas?

The novel depicts both the physical dangers of war and its psychological impact on survivors. How are these various physical and psychological impacts explored in the text? How do these characters experience these impacts in different ways?

What are some specific examples of the brutality of war in this novel? How do these examples compare or contrast to traditional notions about war?

The novel raises complex questions about guilt, culpability, and ethics in the midst of war. What role do these elements play in the text? What is their significance in the narrator’s personal experiences of the war?

The torpedoing of the Llandovery Castle is a documented historical event, as are some of the battles the narrator participates in, such as the Battle of Amiens. How does the work blend fact and fiction? What special insights can a work of fiction provide that a work of nonfiction about WWI could not?

How does the novel explore the nature of faith and idealism, both in a religious and nationalistic sense? How do the characters wrestle with questions of faith and idealism on the front lines?