Introduction
The Last Express is a tale of the work of a blind detective, who does his investigation in a manner that ordinary detectives could not compare. The story started after the lead actor, Duncan Maclain was blinded during World War I, but that did not stop him from investigating criminal activities. The changes featured in the book included that of living as a blind person, despite having been sighted before. More importantly, the irreversible nature of the change appears to be the main focus of the book, mainly because he is able to do criminal investigations, more effectively than the many detectives that were not blind (Kendrick 32). The same experience was made manifest through the story of a WWI British veteran warrior that was featured in Pinero’s play of 1925 (Davis 52). The case of McClain and the war veteran are very similar, in that their lives changed after WWI onwards and also because the people in their society did not seem to understand their plight (Davis 52). Through this essay, the author will explore the ways that WWI changed the life of Duncan Maclain – in ways that were irreversible.
The changes caused by World War I in the life of Maclain
Before and during World War I, Duncan Maclain was a revered and wealthy Captain, but WWI changed his life from that time onwards, in ways he could never correct. The first of the major changes that took place in Maclain’s life was that he became blind, and he was not able to do his investigations like he would do before suffering from blindness. The consequences of the changes that took place in his life included that he had to rely on the guidance of others and his trained dogs, to move around and to investigate his cases. As a blind detective, he setup a detective institution in New York, with the help of his secretary, partner (Spud) and Rena, the wife of Spud. Before he became blind, he used to be a highly effective officer who worked alone, and would do all his work extremely well. Further, apart from the human assistants that have become an extension of his life and work, he relies on the help of his trained dogs, Schnuck, his seeing dog and his dog police assistant, Driest (Kendrick 76). Unlike before the change that made him blind, Maclain is forced to read using the braille system, which he uses to get more information about various things.
Pinero’s play also introduced a man, whose life was totally changed by WWI, after he was disfigured. The veteran fighter is used as the example needed to demonstrate the plight of the many soldiers that returned with disabilities and disfigurations from the war. As an ex-WWI warrior, the people in his society do not consider that he developed his deformations during a time he was fighting for their nation, but they consider him an outcast (Davis 52).
Through the lives of the two men, the authors of the two pieces sought to communicate the social prejudice that was targeted at the people that played a very important role in society, by those that benefited from their work. The two cases demonstrated that the value that a person contributes to the society is not always acknowledged or recognized, despite trying to help the society as a whole can change their lives for the worse, for the rest of their lives. More importantly, the two literary creators sought to express, using the lives of real people, that WWI had long-lasting effects for people and also society.
Conclusion
The book that explored the life of McClain demonstrated that WWI had long-lasting effects – both for the community and the individuals that found themselves in the middle of the events. The experience of McClain was one that depicted those of many others that had to take a new course of life from there onwards. The case of the British veteran tells of a similar experience, where the man in question had to suffer from unexplainable prejudice from the people of the society that he had defended.
Works Cited
Davis, Lennard. Ed. The Disability Studies Reader. Second Edition. New York: New York, 2006. Print.
Kendrick, Baynard. The Last Express. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co., Inc., 1937. Print.
