Birdsong Love and Sex

In Birdsong there are many relationships within the book that are both sexual and companionship. Stephen makes it clear how he treats those he truly cares about and those he doesn’t care for at all. His personality changes throughout the book and he gradually grows more as a person.

In birdsong Stephen is a character that has many relationships with different people both sexual and companionship. His relationship with Isabelle for example can be argued to be mainly sexual because they have never really talked to each other. But it is obvious throughout the book time he is with Isabelle that he truly loves her but for Isabelle it can be argued that for her Stephen was just an experience and a sort of relief from her abusive husband Azaire. This idea is further made more obvious when she decides to leave Stephen when she learns she is with his child, but this point can be refuted by the fact that she was willing to leave behind her luxurious life for a chance to be with Stephen.

Stephen is a complicated character with complicated emotions, this could be because of his upbringing without a mother, and this could explain his interest of older women, maybe because he is trying to fill a void that he has had since he was a child. However this could be argued because Stephen has a sexual encounter with Lisette who is in fact younger than him although by four years, she goes to him with intent and tries seducing him, which he complies but quickly stops himself from going further, 'he pulled away at once because his inclination was to leave it there..' This shows he does have interest with women his own age group, but seems to be more attracted to those who are much older than him.

Stephes's ups and downs with love has seem to have affected him in many areas such as his attitude in the war and maybe to women altogether. His encounter with the prostitute is a good example of how much he's failed relationship with Isabelle had affected him. When the prostitute begins to seduce him he pulls out a knife to her, this could signify his hatred towards women because none so far has been a good experience but then that idea could be seen differently when the prostitute says "the war is difficult" because shortly right after he pulls out the knife he starts to cry, which could be interpreted as the horrors of war beginning to take its toll on him. The prostitute could almost be seen as a motherly figure at this point, because she empathizes with him.

He also has other relationships with his comrades, he has a special relationship with Weir. His relationship with Weir is the only relationship that seems the most genuine, they seem to really care for each other, his relationship with Isabelle differs from that of him and Weir. Stephen and Weir have more of a close relationship in the sense that he and Weir talk more and share with each other whereas with Isabelle most of their