SSRJ#1 Hemingway
When I first read this short story I was truly surprised on how real it seemed. As a veteran of two wars I could totally relate to the awkwardness of Krebs homecoming. Thought out the entire story I found myself saying, “ I totally get what he is going through.” It made me feel at ease. The way Hemingway used the lack of information about Harold’s actions during the war really drove the suspense home. September 2011 was my own homecoming and I can honestly think back to those first few months and still feel exactly the way Hemingway describes Krebs feelings and reactions to situations. Hemingway’s intentional lack of detail about the main characters actions during the war in the story “Soldiers Home” directly reflect the struggle that service members have when trying to adjust back into civilian life. Hemingway used this lack of information to make readers question what, if any, part Kreb had in the war effort. The pairing story’s of women and major battles are in direct contradiction of one another. Hemingway also used the women of questionable integrity to conflict with his upbringing, which directly corresponded with the issues of him adjusting. Even though Kreb eventually succeeds to his family and gets a job, Hemingway left the ending with a clear notion that after all the time he had at home after the war, Kreb never really came back. The irony of the of this can bee seen in the title itself. Although he is home, he never really made it back. Hemingway was a veteran of World War 1 and used this story to explain his own feelings. Can anything really be done to help the brave men that protect and serve our country?
