Generals Die In Bed

The ever-present mud of No Man’s Land and in the trenches serves as an important motif in the literature of WWI and in Generals Die in Bed specifically. The constant shelling, gunfire, and bombardment leave the landscape barren and devoid of vegetation. Winter in northern Europe is often rainy, and during the war years of 1914 to 1918, Europe has excessive rain. As a result, battlefields and trenches become deeply muddy, exacerbated by the wheels of carts, tires of motorized vehicles, and horses’ hooves. No Man’s Land is the muddiest and most dangerous area in a soldier’s life. Men forced to charge across No Man’s Land cannot move quickly—the mud sucks at their boots or causes them to slip and fall. Sometimes the mud takes their boots or men drown in muddy craters filled with rainwater. The motif of mud serves to underscore the horror of war amidst such dreadful living conditions.

The mud also serves a symbolic function. After the initial battles of the war, the forces on both sides become bogged down in the stalemate of trench warfare. Thus, the mud symbolizes the war itself, which is slowly depriving men of their health and lives while enabling no clear victory.