"So incredible was our final separation that it made life itself seem unreal. I had never believed that I could actually go on living without that lovely companionship which had been at my service since childhood, that perfect relation which had involved no jealousy and no agitation, but only the profoundest confidence, the most devoted understanding, on either side." (85)
From The Norton Book of Woman's Lives by Phylliss Ross
In Vera Brittian's reading, from the Testament of Youth, Brittain portrays the pain and grievance of the War. The quote above displays an example of how seriously it affected and changed Brittain's outlook on the world. Seeing as she couldn't believe he was dead, it hadn't set in yet, and it seemed as if she was more repressive with her emotions at the beginning, but then becomes more accepting. The loss of her brother and fiance had made her feel as though she was "st[anding] alone" (85), with nothing but a feeling of numbness and the broken world around her. The war had left Brittian in such a state of despair, so much so that exploiting the damage the war did to her in her youth, was a way to showcase her experiences to the world.
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