Robert Leckie: A Literary Analysis

To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who

Through the distress of a single man, Jarrell is able to depict the fears of a lonely soldier in an extremely vulnerable position, and invites us into the heinous reality of war which forces us to question our impressions of soldiers having no fear yet not questioning their bravery. War can produce gruesome situations that can cause even the bravest men to face their fears, but it is how they deal with this fear that is the important part. Ball turret gunners were courageous warriors. They were fully aware of how susceptible to death they were, nevertheless, they would continue to fight time after time. WWII was a dreadful episode in human history that killed millions of people, and its bloodshed is described by the UN Charter as a scourge that “has brought untold sorrow to mankind”. Jarrell had served in the military himself, thus he knew - at least to some extent -

Penned during two distinctly disparate eras in American military history, both Erich Maria Remarque's bleak account of trench warfare during World War I, All Quiet on the Western Front, and Tim O'Brien's haunting elegy for a generation lost in the jungles of Vietnam, The Man I Killed, present readers with a stark reminder that beneath the veneer of glorious battle lies only suffering and death. Both authors imbue their work with a grim severity, presenting the reality of war as it truly exists. Men inflict grievous injuries on one another, breaking bodies and shattering lives, without ever truly knowing for what or whom they are fighting for. With their contributions to the genre of war literature, both Remarque and O'Brien have sought to lift the veil of vanity which, for so many wartime writers, perverts reality with patriotic fervor. In doing so, the authors manage to convey the true sacrifice of the conscripted soldier, the broken innocence which clouds a man's first kill, and the abandonment of one's identity which becomes necessary in order to kill again.

Many people don’t comprehend how traumatic the life of a young fighter in World War I was. In my opinion, this book will especially help you understand this. The descriptive language describing the wounds and unpleasant content made me feel queasy at times, but also forced me to feel compassionate for the military troops. In this book, limbs are lost, animals such as horses are killed, starving soldiers dig through garbage for food, the troops are destroyed by poison gas, munitions, and bombs. The conditions the fighters went through in the war was dangerous and disturbing which makes me realize how fortunate my life is and causes me to feel compassion for the fighters because of what they had to struggle with.

In the beginning of the 20th century, as European countries were getting ready for war, people were rushing to sign up in what is now known as the Great War. The thought of war used to be romanticized by many because of how imperialists were able to win battles and take over so easily with their technological advances. Men thought they could go off, make a name for themselves, and then return home safely to their families; it was the ultimate romantic adventure. However, they soon found out that wasn’t the case. The war turned out to be one of the most tragic, all consuming wars in history of worldwide conflicts. The novel, All Quiet On The Western Front, depicts the lives of soldiers in trench warfare who, even though may have escaped shells, welre ultimately destroyed by the war.

Through the years 1939 through 1945 there was the terrifying tragedy of World War II. It wrecked people’s homes and nations, killed many families and friends. However, the true destruction it caused was on the mind, the psyches and the sanity of the loved ones waiting at home and the men in battle. I am Louie Zamperini and this is my story from the war, and how I was unbroken.

When faced with a life or death situation, there is no time to think. Soldiers are forced to make life or death decisions in a split second. The aftermath of those decisions, however, can live with soldiers for a very long time. As O’Brien recalls the emotions he felt when he killed someone for the first time he notes, After he killed the soldier, O’Brien is paralyzed with the thoughts about the dead man’s background, his family and what his future might have been. O'Brien conveys the feelings of uncertainty experienced in the heat of intense life or death moments during war.

The story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is an enormously detailed fictional account of a wartime scenario in which jimmy Cross (the story’s main character) grows as a person, and the emotional and physical baggage of wartime are brought to light. The most obvious and prominent feature of O’Brien’s writing is a repetition of detail. O’brien also passively analyzes the effects of wartime on the underdeveloped psyche by giving the reader close up insight into common tribulations of war, but not in a necessarily expositorial sense.. He takes us into the minds of mere kids as they cope with the unbelievable and under-talked-about effects or rationalizing

The difficulties of staying sane are immense during war and tragedies. Despite being institutionalized and constant attempts to change one’s mindset and demeanor, the war didn 't alter Robert Leckie’s overall personality and traits as a man. Continuous physical and psychological battles erupted during World War II. Robert Leckie managed to remain sane, balanced, and humble enough to paint a clear picture of graphic and vivid altercations and battles.

War had crawled inside of Eddie, in his leg and his soul. He learned many things as a soldier, He came home a different man,” (Albom 85). The reader can observe, since Eddie's unfortunate experience in the war, he changed into a pessimistic man. Before Eddie went to war, he was an energetic, adventurous, and caring man. After his traumatizing experiences, he arrived back home monotonous.

While reading “The Man He Killed”, by Thomas Hardy, I knew the speaker was talking about his past experience during war. He has killed a man,and that this man still lingers in his thoughts from time to time. The conversational tone, along with the simple language highlight many of Hardy’s ideas concerning war. The dialogue itself portrays the overwhelming consequences inhumanity can have on the soul, ultimately destroying anything man has ever know.

In the fall of 1942, a young boy of fourteen sat by Mottville’s only waterfall and watched the clear, blue waters flow over the rocky edge. Roy Faraday appeared to be studying the stream, but he could only see the memories of the past dreadful months. The Alabama farm boy remembered the dreadful day it all started to go downhill; the day his father left for the big war in Europe. He could recall his father’s smile as he walked toward the cruiser that would take him away to a foreign land with a small possibility of return. Lieutenant Peter Faraday never wanted his service to separate his family, but he had no choice in this matter. So the brunette now stayed on his grandparents’ old farm, working until his father returned. In the meantime, he took a personal day to clear his mind of the worrying thoughts about his father. War, to Roy’s understanding of it anyway, accomplished nothing but agony and sorrow. It took his father away from him, it took other fathers away from their friends and family. Why does everyone want to fight with physical weapons instead of harmless words?

Salinger and Hemingway, along with the rest of society during this time suffered from disillusionment. They were promised that they were going to war to fight for their country, to be honorable men, but they soon came to realize that they were witnessing the unspeakable, doing the unimaginable, and living the unbelievable. Soldiers came back from war different men from the men they were sent out as and the rest of society didn’t understand. Society believed in God, but soldiers were coming back as atheists or converted to other religions. Society believed in the good and innocent, but soldiers no longer knew what that was. Society believed in reputation, but soldiers could barely live their lives as they did before. As a direct result of their wartime experiences, the focus of both Hemingway and Salinger shifted from self-realization, largely from The Catcher in the Rye and “The Killers”, to societal views on war. Archiving their personal experiences, the authors exposed the disillusionment that surrounded war in order to provide society with an understanding of a soldier’s

After soldiers return home from war, do they continue to take their experience so casually and delicately? Do they ever end up dealing with any emotional or psychological trauma? These are questions that people do not take into consideration when they see others that have returned from war. This is what occurs to the protagonists in the short stories, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J.D. Salinger, and “Home” by George Saunders. Throughout these short stories, we see how Seymour from “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, and Mikey from “Home”, are both war veterans who have returned to their homes after fighting in the war. We see the effects that the war has left on them in multiple ways, and how it impacts their lives. Both short stories “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” and “Home” demonstrate the criticism against the materialistic world, the barriers to effective communication and the elusive search for childhood and home.

Through his use of formal warfare phrases, character development, and narrator interaction, Bierce successfully conveys his distaste for war and his respectful tolerance of the military. Once a soldier himself, he knows what plagues war leaves behind on the mind, and he understands the fault belongs to trauma gained from war. Unfortunately, although Bierce’s formality conveys warfare with dignity, it does not mitigate its horror, a horror Bierce experienced