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?
Nice response, Thomas. I totally agree. I figured you and I would connect with this story right off the bat because of the content. As an Army veteran I felt a lot of respect and personal connection with what Krebs was going through in Heminway's story.
ReplyDeleteYou got me thinking, too, because I hadn't really connected the fact that Hemingway didn't mention specifics with what Krebs did in the war. It makes a lot of sense, though, because the lack of information draws the reader into the story that much more than if Hemingway had mentioned Krebs' actual experiences. If you keep in mind that Hemgingway uses the omniscient third-person narrative to let us know what is going on in Krebs' heart and mind the lack of information probably helps us stay connected with the character and keep things more real for us. If Hemingway were to go into specifics of Krebs' experiences he might lose some of the audience he's trying to reach.
The title totally hit me the same way, too. I thought about it after getting through the story the first few times, and it really screamed at me that the title was completely ironic. Here is this guy coming back to his HOMEtown but it's not really his home anymore, not in his heart and his mind.
Great blog, Thomas. Can't wait to see more.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWow, I really appreciate reading a veterans response to the story. It opens up a whole new perspective that I could never understand otherwise. I can't be anywhere near sure how anyone can really help these men without getting a better understanding of what you mean by help. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I know I can't personally relate to how Krebs is feeling but it is so awesome to read how you can understand what he went through. Although I don't know what it feels like coming home from years spent in war, I can imagine it was really hard. I definitely agree how you think there is irony in the title. He never really felt like he was at "home" anymore. He never got back to where he used to be before we went off to war. I honestly don't really know how to protect these brave people who are off to protect our country. You guys do so much for us and we are so thankful. Thank you for this post!
ReplyDelete