Osborne

In 'Journey's End', Osborne is one of the officers in the dugout. Older than the others, Osborne assumes a father-like role which is comforting for the other officers: particularly Raleigh and Stanhope. Osborne first appears to us in Act 1 Scene 1 when he comes to take over from Hardy and we immediately see the meticulous and loyal nature of the well-mannered officer. Later on however, in Act 3 Scene 1 (page 76) we learn of Osborne's death.

Meticulous

Synonyms:

precise
conscientious
painstaking in his duties

Where we see it:

Act 1 - Osborne prepares for C company to take over

OSBORNE 'let's do this handing over' - it is here that it is first made obvious that Osborne does not shirk his duties as an officer as he stops the conversation between himself and Hardy in order to undertake the important chores given to him by Stanhope.
OSBORNE 'where's the map?...Where do the men sleep?' - instead of treating the handing over process as simply a formality and something fairly irrelevant, as Hardy seems to believe, Osborne treats it with the utmost importance and goes into every detail, painstakingly probing Hardy for the information that he doesn't simply give up. It is as if Hardy does not know what he needs to tell Osborne which highlights for us the conscientiousness of Osborne himself.
HARDY 'you are a fussy old man' - As Hardy seems surprised at the precision of Osborne, we too see that this is not an ordinary attribute as one might expect for the officers in the trenches in World War 1. Contextually, this is important as propaganda at the time lead the British people to believe that everything in the army was perfectly ordered and that precision was an attribute held by all. Hardy's comment here rejects that and therefore suggests at other things which didn't happen in the way that people 'back home' were led to believe.

Courageous

Synonyms:

strong (mentally, emotionally and physically - could be a facade)
tough
brave

Where we see it:

Act 1 - Osborne prepares for C company to take over

STAGE DIRECTIONS [physically as hard as nails] - here, this description of Osborne presents him as a physically imposing man who is strong and tough. Contextually, this is important as, at the time and perhaps even now, the idea of strength was closely liked to the image of courage within the stereotype of perfect 'masculinity'. Without him even speaking, Sherriff has presented Osborne as a powerful individual which prepares us for the courage and strength he shows throughout the rest of the play.

Act 2 Scene 2 - Osborne learns about the forthcoming raid

OSBORNE 'it is, rather' - Here, we see how well Osborne disguises his true feelings to present a strong exterior as he learns about the forthcoming raid which he is to lead and which Trotter describes as 'murder'. Even when Stanhope apologises, Osborne presents a brave face which is contextually important as this is what would have been expected of a true 'masculine' soldier.

Loyal

Synonyms:

staunch
dependable
steadfast
trustworthy

Where we see it:

Act 1 - Osborne prepares for C company to take over

OSBORNE 'His experience alone makes him worth a dozen people like me' - Here, Osborne's loyalty to Stanhope as not just a friend but also a commander is undeniable. As Osborne ranks Stanhope so highly above himself with continuous reasoning, we are made aware of the nature of Osborne who is prepared to look past any faults to find the true goodness within a person, emphasising how his loyalty is completely genuine and not just because is was considered the 'masculine' thing to do.

Sympathetic and good at giving advice

Synonyms:

compassionate
supportive
understanding

Where we see it:

Act 1 - Osborne and Stanhope talk about Hibbert

OSBORNE 'you can't help feeling sorry for him. I think he's tried hard' - Here, Osborne is presented by Sherriff as compassionate as he sympathises with Hibbert's situation and the fact that the weight of the war is causing him to attempt to leave on an account of neuralgia. Osborne's understanding nature is emphasised here as Stanhope appears to be less sympathetic.
OSBORNE 'come on old chap. You come and lie down here' - Here, we see Osborne's supportive and calm manner as he coaxes Stanhope into taking some rest. The fact that Stanhope has opened up to him at all proves Osborne's sympathetic and understanding nature as already we see that he is the one that Stanhope turns to for support.

Act 3 Scene 1 - Just before Raleigh and Osborne leave on the raid

STANHOPE 'what on earth should I do without you?' - Here, Stanhope's complete and utter dependence on Osborne conveys to us how supportive and understanding he is to his commanding officer. Contextually, this is important as it was unusual for a higher ranking officer to lean on one of his subordinates not to mention how t was even more unusual for the higher-ranking officer to admit it, even in private as it questioned how 'manly' the supported man was if h couldn't support himself.

Modest and well-mannered

Synonyms:

humble
unassuming
unpretentious
polite
courteous

Where we see it:

Act 2 Scene 1 - Osborne and Raleigh talk about life away from the war

OSBORNE 'anyhow, don't breeze it about' - Here, we see Osborne's desire not to show off about his achievement of playing rugby for England as he asks Raleigh not to spread it about. Indeed, Osborne only told him when questioned which shows his modesty as many people would show off and become arrogant if they had played for England. Instead, Osborne feels that it doesn't matter 'out here' as it makes no difference which also highlights his modesty. Contextually, this is important as it emphasises the stark contrast between the homes of the men and the front line.

Act 2 Scene 2 - Osborne talks to Mason

OSBORNE 'please Mason' - Here, Osborne's natural politeness is apparent as he treats Mason, the cook, with good manners, as if he were talking to one of his fellow officers. Contextually, this is important as Osborne does not seem to take heed of the class divide which existed between the officers and the men. Instead, he treats Mason with respect, defying social norms and emphasising his fair and virtuous nature.

Intelligent and thoughtful

Synonyms:

astute
perceptive
tactful
rational

Act 2 Scene 1 - Osborne and Stanhope talk about imagination

OSBORNE 'I suppose everybody out here - feels more keenly' - Here, Osborne's perceptive nature is obvious as he manages to put into words the delicate subject of how the being on the front line affects the individual. Osborne's obvious understanding allows the audience or reader to also understand the effects. Contextually, this is important as negative mental and emotional effects of being on the front line were a taboo subject and so we come to respect Osborne further for his astute and indiscriminative nature
OSBORNE ' I used to sit and smoke and read' - Here, Osborne's esteem for thought and intellectually stimulating activities is apparent which presents to us the image of a man who is thoughtful and not only intelligent but interested in mental growth through reading.

Act 2 Scene 2 - Osborne reads 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'

TROTTER ' I don't see no point in that' - Here, Osborne's intelligence is highlighted as he reads what Trotter considers to simply be a 'kids book'. Placed, next to Trotter's scornful lack of understanding as to why, Osborne's intelligence is highlighted by the way in which he avoids thinking too deeply about where he is and the forthcoming raid.

	Created by Beki M over 7 years ago

Character analysis of Osborne in 'Journey's End' with quotes. There is no AO2 (language analysis etc.) as it is for Edexcel paper 1.