preview

Ernest Hemingway Soldiers Home Essay

Decent Essays
Essay #1: Characterization
Title: “Soldier’s Home” Author: Ernest Hemingway

Setting: Post World War I era, 1919. In Howard’s (Kreb’s) quaint home town in Oklahoma. All who have returned from the harsh war are welcomed; their stories as well. All except for Krebs.

Narrative Point of View: 3rd person. The narrator puts the reader in Kreb’s environment or in his society, so to speak. This allows one to feel as Krebs does and better understand the lasting effects of war (or perhaps the lasting effects of his lies) on him and the surrounding characters

Conflict(s): Man vs. Himself: Krebs is dealing with the complications of reestablishing himself in society after the complications of a restless war. He becomes angry at himself as
…show more content…
Literary Device Focus: Elements of Characterization- Background, Actions, Motivation, Author’s Implied Evaluation

Mike Egan

Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldiers Home” is about a young man named Krebs who is learning to adjust to society after his experience in Europe during World War I. Hemingway’s purpose for writing this story can be confusing and also very telling. I believe Krebs was not a soldier at all and in fact, deceives his family, his friends, and his community into believing he was an experienced soldier in World War I. At first glance, Krebs may be seen as a war hero. However, by observing the characteristics such as Kreb’s background, actions, motivation, and the author’s Implied Evaluation, we see that he is not a war hero at all.
Hemingway begins by saying Krebs went to a Methodist college fraternity where they wore, “exactly the same height and style collar,” (272) indicating that they were neatly dressed and proper. This is an indication that Krebs came from an environment that required uniformity. In the next paragraph, Hemingway also describes how Krebs is seen in a picture near the Rhine river soon after his enrollment where, “Krebs and the corporal look too big for their uniforms,” and, “The Rhine does not show in the picture,” (272) which leads the reader to believe that there is no solid proof that Krebs was ever in Germany during the war. People begin to
Get Access