Scores of young men and women have enlisted into different branches of the Armed Services, many have also seen firsthand the atrocities that war produces, instances where the difference between life and death are never certain has the ability to instill memories and images that will forever haunt them thereby creating the walking wounded. Ernest Hemingway uses conflict in his 1925 short story “Soldier’s Home,” through his own experiences from World War I to convey the tragedies of war the everlasting effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Harold Krebs returns home many years after the war is over and exhibits conflict with conforming and reintegrating back into his small hometown society. Dr. Jatinder Sareen annotates that one of the many defining features of PTSD is the withdrawal from social interaction. The years that Harold did not return home is an indication of the acknowledgement of what awaited him, upon his return home he makes conscious decisions to distance himself from society. Although Harold has moved back to his hometown, he quickly recognizes that while he has changed, the world he grew up in has remains the same. Many of
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Harold’s mother was a very pious woman while his father was more materialistic, neither seems willing to accept that Harold is no longer the person he once was and will never be again. Christy Tran explains in “The Journal of Psychology and Theology” that veterans often experience guilt and shame in the aftermath of combat or combat related incidents which in turn makes them question their faith or dissolve all spiritual beliefs. As Harold’s mother speaks to him over breakfast she says “There can be no idle hands in his kingdom” Krebs replied “I’m not in his kingdom” (Hemingway 75), proving further that even though Harold was once religious he had seemingly lost his faith along the
The returning of a dramatic event disables a soldier to adapt accordingly to everyday life. Ones conscious of reality is infringed upon Posttraumatic experiences of warfare, which unleashes an outbreak of inhumane actions directed towards existence and significant others. As the short story progresses after the event of the Vietnam War, the narrator says referring to Henry that:
By reading the story we know Harold no longer feels at home anymore. He has been traumatized by life and death situations that his parents simply do not understand. We know that he has changed because he feels he no longer fits in. In the story, we find out Krebs attended a Methodist college in Kansas. He was not out of place during that time. Hemingway says, “There is a picture which shows him among his fraternity brothers, all of them wearing exactly the same height and style collar.” (185) Hemingway is telling us that by stating that Harold once fit in the town. He fit in with his friends. He is meaning in the story that most soldiers are traumatized by the war, and when they return they are different people.
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
Numerous people all over the states join a military branch. Some are forced with war and others are not. Soldiers that have war experience might experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when returning home. In the story of “Soldier Home”, Harold Krebs seems to have quite a few symptoms of this disorder. Prior to his war services, Krebs experiences conformity, connections, and his faith; however, after the war he has a difficult time adjusting back to civilian life.
Harold Krebs, returns from World War I to his home in Oklahoma. He comes home later than
In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “A Soldier’s Home”, Krebs, a soldier, returns to his hometown from fighting in World War I. As indicated throughout the story, “home” for Krebs is not unlike the war front: confusing, complicated, and restless. Hemingway uses the setting in Kansas, during World War I, to convey Krebs post-war life in comparison to his pre-war.
The initial reaction I received from reading Soldier's Home, and my feelings about Soldier's Home now are not the same. Initially, I thought Harold Krebs is this soldier who fought for two years, returns home, and is disconnected from society because he is in a childlike state of mind, while everyone else has grown up. I felt that Krebs lost his immature years, late teens to early 20's, because he went from college to the military. I still see him as disconnected from society, because there isn't anyone or anything that can connect him to the simple life that his once before close friends and family are living. He has been through a traumatic experience for the past two years, and he does not
As a young man coming back from the war, Krebs expected things to be the same when he got home and they were, except one. Sure the town looked older and all the girls had matured into beautiful women, Krebs had never expected that he would be the one to change. The horrific experiences of the first World War had alienated and removed those he had cared about, including his family, who stood naïve to the realities and consequences only those who live it first hand would comprehend.
Other than the personnel who lost limbs, there were others who were affected just as bad and will endure their pain forever most likely due to their mental state because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Mayo Clinic definition of PTSD is, “Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.” Even though back during World War I which is the time that Krebs had served this was a huge factor for returning soldiers. As stated by Jones and Wessely they say that PTSD “these features lead to avoidance and impaired social interaction.” Other than PTSD, soldiers were affected by “shell shock” which is caused by a traumatic event that will affect a person’s everyday by making them have symptoms such as “uncontrollable diarrhea to unrelenting anxiety” (Bourke). In my opinion, this could have been a problem that Krebs had since he was
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.
Harold Krebs is a man who has gone through a life-changing event and has experienced many consequences made by his own choices and decisions. He then has to come to the understanding that he has to try and rebuild his life as he knew it. Things weren’t working out at his family’s house so he decided to move to Kansas City where he would get a job. This war was a hundred years ago and Krebs came back and had no clue what to do with his life when he got back. The
Upon returning home the soldiers meet a field of new troubles that come with acclimation to society after fighting. Many soldiers come home with skills that are not applicable to their lives and generally a much deeper understanding of what they believe the world consists of. This leads to much disillusion with the world they come back to. In both Ernest Hemingway and Tim O’Brien’s stories, soldiers meet with disillusionment and disconnect from society. The soldiers react in different ways to this feeling; the authors use diction, sentence structure, and figurative language to demonstrate their troubles with acclimation.
This is an essay on the short story “Soldier’s Home” by Hemingway. Will the life of a soldier ever be the same after returning from war? Many generations of young adults have gone from their homes with tranquil settings to experience war and come home to a different world. Many have witnessed the devastations and atrocities that occur with war. Harold Krebs, a young man from a small town with a loving family is no different from those before him and those to follow. The anguish of what war is however cannot dispel the thoughts and memories of what many young men come home to face in the real world. Many have trouble coping in the new world known as home.
Soldier’s Home is a story about the experiences of a soldier returning from war. The narrative starts with a description of an image or photograph of Harold Krebs. Krebs is the main character of this story. He was a young man who was attending the Methodist College in Kansas before he had to enlist in the Marines to find in the war (Hemingway 111-116). The opening picture is an increasingly significant source of contrast between the young man who went to war and the one who comes back who has become silent and alienated after coming home. Krebs comes back in 1919 even though the war ended in 1918. His return is not marked by celebrations and parades that were often given to the young soldiers who had managed to come home early. Rather, Krebs finds out that the people are not overly excited about his news of the war unless he lies and exaggerates about his role during the war (Hemingway 111-116).
Ernest Hemingway “Soldier’s Home" is an outstanding short story that shows the tragic impact of war on the life of a young soldier who returns home. The story paints a vibrant picture of a soldier’s life after coming back from a shocking experience. Hemingway shows impacts of war on a soldier with the main character being Harold Krebs, who faces hostility in his hometown after his return from fighting in the war. The main character in the story is Kreb with the author making usage of repetition, characterization, and symbolism to bring out the message in the story.