The Execution of Private Slovik – 53two
It is well known that, in response to potential harm, the human body can go into fight-or-flight mode. It is a physiological survival mechanism, and some people choose to face the danger, whilst others will run away.
This play concerns the true story of Private Eddie Slovik (Jamie Peacock), who was the only American soldier to be executed for desertion in the Second World War. Indeed, he was the first to face that punishment since the American Civil War.
We are presented with a moral dilemma. Do we see Slovik as a flawed man, with a difficult upbringing, who froze at the vital moment and wanted, like many would in the middle of a war, simply to run away and back to his sick wife? Or do we see him as a cog in an army machine that should simply obey orders for the good of the natio...