Relationship between Rivers and Sassoon in Regeneration
- At first Rivers and Sassoon are quite formal. This is not unusual due to the fact that Rivers is Sassoon's doctor, and is treating Sassoon for a mental health issue, therefore he must tread carefully as to not tip Sassoon over the edge.
- Rivers asks a number of questions to Sassoon. Again this is not unusual as he is his doctor so needs to find out a lot of information about Sassoon. This in effect builds up their relationship due to the fact that Rivers is learning more and more about Sassoon each day and begins to understand why Sassoon detests the idea of war.
- Rivers understands Sassoon, 'The point is you hate civilians don't you'.
- We can tel from the novel that Sassoon takes an immediate liking to Rivers as he considers Rivers an 'exception' to his hatred of civilians.
- Sassoon adopts Rivers as a sort of father figure early on in the novel, 'rare for it to happen as quickly as this in a man of Sassoon's age', again outlining the fact that Sassoon is fond of rivers.
- It states in the book that Rivers was 30 years older than the youngest patient which puts him around 50. Sassoon could be around his 30's so therefore would look at Rivers as a fatherly figure.
- Sassoon changes the way that Rivers viewed the war: 'It wasn't simply discomfort of having to express views he was no longer sure he had'. This shows that Rivers agreed with a lot of the views Sassoon expressed.
- We learn that Sassoon was an important part of Rivers job: 'but then came along Sassoon'
- Further into the novel Sassoon and Rivers start to see each other outside of the hospital Craiglockhart, the writer does not inform the reader if he does this with any other patient but does make it clear that their relationship is growing.
- He starts to call Sassoon, 'Seigfried' by his first name which shows their bonding.
- 'Rivers respected Sassoon to much to manipulate him': this gives us the idea that he may do it to other patients but refuses to do it with Sassoon.
- They have a student-teacher relationship which develops into a father and son relationship
- Sassoon looks up to Rivers: 'He tries to behave as if we're equal. But in the end hes a gold medalist of the royal society, and i left Cambridge without getting a degree'.
- Sassoons father abandoned him as a child, 'only now did he realize how completely Rivers had come to take his father's place'
- River's writes to Sassoon, 'My dear Seigfried'
- Sassoon says to Rivers that he should have dropped into his mothers house when he had been passing on his holiday, 'she regards you as the saviour of the family name' due to the fact that Rivers is helping to make Sass 'sane' again.
- Sassoon has been treated differently from everyone else: 'I never asked or expected to be treated differently from anyone else'
- Sassoon tells Rivers first, before anyone else that he had decided to go back to war: 'No, I wanted you to be the first', trusts him.
- 'He was looking at Rivers with an extraordinary mixture of love and hostility': The kind of love between father and son, loves them but at the same time is angry at them.
- Sassoon wants to tell Rivers everything, 'I did ask if he'd mind me telling you, so i'm not breaking a confidence' Sassoon to rivers about Graves
- Rivers cares about Sassoon, he is worried about him, 'In ways which you do a great deal of damage - which i happen to care about'
- Rivers talks to Sassoon like he is his child: 'It's time you grew up. Started living in the real world.
- Sassoon refers to 'his' rivers, claiming him as his own
- River's misses Sassoon when he had left: 'It was an effort to talk at dinner, partly tiredness, partly Sassoon's empty place'
- Teacher-student relationship: 'his demeanor was very much that of a keen and basically decent head boy who knows he's let the headmaster down rather badly'
- River's jokes with Sassoon after a rather serious telling off showing that he can never stay mad at him, 'No idea. Roast you I hope'
- 'I don't look forward to Craiglockhart without either of you' Sassoon will miss both Rivers and Owen when they both leave.
- River's has words with people in high up places so Sassoon has a better chance of getting back to the front line: 'Its no guarantee but its the best I can do'
- Bit of banter, Sassoon calls Rivers, 'you old fox'
- Fatherly advice, Rivers to Sassoon 'Don't take unnecessary risks'
- Rivers asks Sassoon to see him before he leaves to go off to France, 'try and see me before you leave England'
- Sassoon changed Rivers subconsciously: 'that he, who was in the business of changing people, should himself have been changed by somebody who was clearly unaware of having done it'
- Rivers is obviously worried about Sassoon's return to France and doesn't want him to be killed like so many others. 'He wasted no time in wondering how he would feel if Seigfried were to be maimed or killed'
- Created by: Abbie Leakey
- Created on: 28-02-12 17:01
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