Analysis Of Michael Morpurgo’S Novel "Private Peaceful" And Peter Weir’S Film "Gallipoli"

Michael Morpurgo’s novel Private Peaceful and Peter Weir’s film Gallipoli (1981), use a range of language and stylistic features to reveal the detrimental effects brought about through involvement in war, showing the audience the impact this has on innocent young men. Both texts use complex characters to explore ideas of rivalry that transform into mateship and even, brotherhood highlighting the connections built through the haunting experiences shared through the harsh settings of war. Additionally, both texts highlight clear ideas of shame brought about through fear that portrays powerful messages of dishonour to the nation and fear of judgment and how the very nature of war brings this about. Both texts underline the impact their duty has on the young soldiers both physically and mentally. Furthermore, both Private Peaceful and Gallipoli make particular use of the silent screams of dead soldiers to draw the audience in and reinforce crucial messages of the waste of war. Sacrifice is made evident throughout both texts through the character’s journey to their new reality as they are confronted with things greater then themselves. The audience is left with no choice but to connect the experiences created through war thus revealing the pain and disconnection with reality through this horrendous journey.

Ideas of mateship and brotherhood are evident throughout Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful and Weir’s Gallipoli revealing to the audience the bonds that can be formed through devastation. Both texts cleverly use this sense of mateship to gently guide the audience through the fear of war. Morpurgo uses the comfort of family to guide Tommo through his new reality “I was going to fight in the war with Charlie. Nothing and no one could stop me now.”. The audience is left with the warmth of two brothers fighting beside one another. Weir reiterates this through the depiction of rivalry of two competitive runners that become mates and then ‘brothers’. Gallipoli reveals this in Weir’s clever scene with a zoom in shot of Archy and Frank carving their names into the side of the pyramid showing the audience that their mateship is strong, matching the strength and immortality of the ancient structures. Brotherhood held between the soldiers is important to ensure survival. It lays foundation for self-sacrifice and both authors foreshadow this through the young soldiers. The audience notes the loyalty of brothers and realises Morpurgo’s exceptional characterisation of Charlie Peaceful and how love for family drives his sacrifice, “…even if I wanted to, I can’t go with you because I’d have to leave Tommo behind, and I can’t do that.”.

The audience is drawn into his noble sacrifice and notes the bond of two brothers. Weir’s choice to set Frank and Archy on a journey across the Australian outback cleverly creates a bond between them. Additionally, Weir’s choice of costuming symbolises the opposing characteristics of Frank and Archy with Frank in a black suit representing the cynical, realistic and less patriotic man seen through the dark and shady aspects. On the other hand, Archy in a white suit portraying the young hard-working patriotic boy and the light and growth, representing the purity of the new nation. The audience notes the importance of these two young men and how they provide balance for each other showing the good in the bad and the bad in the good. Additionally, both texts make excellent use of letters to and from home causing the audience to feel sorry for the young men who are away from their families and to emphasis the strength that comes from home. Weir does this through his close-up in the final scenes of Gallipoli where the soldiers are writing their last letters knowing that once they climb up over the safety of the trench they will be cut down. This is reiterated through Private Peaceful with Thomas reading his letters from home, “I have them with me now, my very last letters from home.”, making sure he keeps them in best possible shape.

Additionally, Morpurgo uses first person and brings the family to life through the letters, “…I can hear their voices in the words, see their faces in the writing”, to evoke feelings of love and loss in the audience. Lastly, Weir cleverly uses the words between Archy and his uncle to remind the audience the strength of their bond as Archy mutters, “What are your legs? Springs, steel springs.”, “How fast can you run? As fast as a leopard.”, “Then let’s see you do it.”. The audience is immediately brought back home to the source of the strength. Both Private Peaceful and Gallipoli clearly display messages of duty and reveal the connection this has on dishonour and the wide and brutal impact of this. Morpurgo uses the love of a family to persuade the Peaceful to join up “…How proud Mother would be.”, reveals to the audience the power that love and loyalty has over the decision and how the shame of disgracing family impacts young men. Duty plays a major role in both texts intensifying the burden this creates on the soldiers. Weir’s Gallipoli uses a close-up of the sergeant fighting against authority to save the men from a massacre, “It’s cold blooded murder”, and the lack of knowledge from unaware higher authority, “I said push on.”, thus revealing to the audience the struggle of young men who want to do right by their brothers but also do not want to die a pointless death.

Furthermore, Weir uses close-up on the sergeants face to reveal the fear in his eyes and the dependability of everyone regardless of rank fighting together, “I can’t ask them to do something I wouldn’t do myself.”. The audience is drawn in to the respect between men of higher authority and the young men sent off to be slaughtered. Morpurgo’s clever use of alliteration, “I see a thousand silent screams.”, forces the audience to picture the horrifying settings faced throughout the soldier’s journey and the distress within it. Morpurgo’s ‘silent screams’ present the constant juxtaposition of war itself, held in two simple words.In both texts innocence is seen in the shape of Thomas Peaceful and Archy’s growth throughout journey. This is revealed through his reasoning behind joining the war “…How Molly would admire me, might even love me…”, thus revealing to the audience the childlike crush that formed his desire to join in on the devastation of the war. Weir reiterates this sense of innocence through the characteristics of Archy, a young soldier set on heading off to war to prove his maturity not just to others but also himself. Like, Morpurgo’s Thomas he, “…had to prove myself to myself.”. The audience notes that Archy and Thomas are symbolic in their innocence and need for seeking maturity. Innocence represented by the young soldiers forces the audience to face the dreadful impacts war has on young men and reveals the intense control war has over coming of age especially on the young recruits. This can be seen through Thomas Peaceful’s coming of age journey and how his inexperience forces his maturity.

Morpurgo uses imagery words to reveal to the audience the impact war creates on innocent young men, “I could not get those horses and their terrible wounds out of my head. The sight of them haunted me…”, this reveals the awful scenes that took away the young men’s innocence and the audience is forced to think about this and picture these scenes in their head. Both texts use feelings of being a part of something bigger then themselves. Weir shows this through Archy “A feeling that we’re all involved in an adventure that’s somehow larger than life.”, thus revealing to the audience a sense of maturity brought about through war. Both Gallipoli and Private Peaceful emphasis the unforgiving environments and reveal to the audience the extent of the damage of war itself, and the human cost. Settings of warfare create fear within the soldiers. This can be seen through Morpurgo and Weir’s descriptions of the harsh environments that the soldiers are having to face daily. Weir’s desert scenes symbolise the emptiness the soldiers feel as well as revealing to the audience that even the horrors of war can travel to the barest of places and become home to such travesties.

Additionally, Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful is set in the intense mud of trench warfare in France. Furthermore, Morpurgo makes clever use of personification held in the mud and the repetition of the pronoun ‘us’ which reinforces a sense of group and the brotherhood held with the soldiers, “…A mud-filled ditch, a stinking gooey mud that seems to want to hold us then suck us down and drown us.”, thus revealing to the audience the extreme environments the soldiers have to endure. Both texts use the journey from the safe comfort of home and family to the damaging settings and weapons of warfare, “Gas! Gas!”, thus revealing to the audience the horrible weapons that caused so much death. This is relayed through excellent use of personification of the gas that is, “…Swallowing everything in its path.”. Morpurgo cleverly uses personification of the nature of war, “The earth quivers and trembles…”, thus revealing to the audience the severe damage both the soldiers and the earth had to endure due to warfare. Weir reiterates this through his excellent use of camera shots. Panning across the battlefield reveals the never-ending pile of bodies lying dead or wounded on the unforgiving ground, “They are being cut down before they can get five yards.” echoes Morpurgo’s sense of the damage. Morpurgo uses onomatopoeia to bring to life extreme settings of war, “…The whistle and whine and shriek of the shells…” brings the audience into the reality of war and confronts them with the horrible sounds of combat. Weir’s sound of knives being attached onto bayonets has the same impact. Morpurgo uses the horrors of war juxtaposed to the calm and safety of home, “Home’s home. Here’s here.”, showing the audience the simple importance of the separation.

Lastly, Weir foreshadows what is to come with his clever scene of Archy and Frank walking through the dry land of the Australian outback on their way to war. The audience is drawn in through Weir’s camera shot high above them showing the vast landscape they are taking on representing the agony they are yet to face. Overall both texts present clear messages about the devastation brought about through war and the sacrifices made by those who take part in it and are thus bonded by brotherhood. Both texts cleverly use complex characters to draw the audience in to the reality of war relaying the damaging effects this had on the young men who journeyed there. Weir’s Gallipoli uses numerous camera techniques to reveal the server environments faced. Although each text presents their own view on the devastating settings created throughout warfare both display ideas of brotherhood, loyalty, innocence and the horrible environments of war draws the audience in and intrigues them.

Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful uncovers the desire of love and focuses on the loyalty of brothers and their undying love for each other. Likewise, Gallipoli follows the journey of two rivals who throughout the distress of war become brothers. Together both texts leave the audience questioning themselves and the impact war has on young men.