Generals Die In Bed

The protagonist in Generals Die in Bed is also its unnamed narrator. All Harrison reveals about the narrator is that he is an 18-year-old Canadian from Quebec who has enlisted to fight in WWI. By choosing to not give his narrator a name, physical description, or background, Harrison invites readers to see the narrator as representative of all young recruits. In addition, because Harrison allows the story to unfold through a limited first-person point of view, everything that happens in the novel is filtered through the narrator’s consciousness.

At the beginning of the book, the narrator takes part in the celebrations surrounding the Canadian sendoff of troops. Soon, however, he admits to loneliness and fear, emotions that continue to grow throughout the book. In the trenches he endures lice, rats, gunfire, and finally wounding, becoming increasingly hardened to life and death. The narrator’s experiences reflect The Psychological Impact of Combat on the common soldier. For example, when on leave in London, the narrator becomes angry with civilians who do not understand or want to hear about the conditions at the front. The narrator often chooses to self-medicate by drinking excessively to forget the horrors of war.