Soldier's Home Essay

“Soldier’s Home,” by Ernest Hemingway, is about a young man named Harold Kreb and his life after returning home from fighting in a war. Kreb enlisted in the Marines in 1917, and was gone for two years. Upon his return Kreb learns that the townspeople have already welcomed the returning soldiers and he is too late. After his return, Kreb feels disconnected from the people who made him think that he’s a hero, and that he fought in a war that was glamorous. Feeling isolated and angry, Kreb ends up fighting with his mother. Realizing that he can’t have a normal life in this town, Kreb leaves to seek a simple and uncomplicated life in Kansas City. The central idea of this story is that survival should not be dependant on someone compromising their

In the beginning of the story we learn about Kreb’s life before returning home from the war. Having previously been active in a fraternity in college as well as being actively engaged in social settings while over seas, we learn that Kreb enjoyed being in relationships and conversing with people. While Kreb enjoyed the companionship of friends before, he still desired conversations with people after returning home. However, he found it difficult to talk to his hometown friends. Thus he “would not go through all the talking” (253). Kreb realized after returning home that talking to the people in town was on a level of interest that didn’t appeal to him anymore. The principles and ideas they would talk about had changed. Kreb is also dynamic because he changed his view regarding the war. In the beginning, Kreb shared the belief with the townspeople that what he did in the war was glamorous, and heroic. They were excited to talk about it. After Kreb had to lie about what he really did in order for people to listen to him talk, he “had a distaste against the war and against talking about it” (250). Kreb realized it wasn’t as alluring as the townspeople thought. We also see in “Soldier’s Home,” Kreb’s lying is a crucial moment that shows how he’s dynamic. We see it through his change of heart towards being honest. He ultimately supports the central idea, dishonesty shouldn’t be a demand for survival. In the story,

During this conversation Kreb’s mother attempts to lead Kreb towards the practical path of getting back into society, and having a purpose in life, by asking “have you decided what you are going to do yet” (255) When Kreb doesn’t respond his mother asks him the rhetorical questions of whether he loves his mother. Kreb, feeling embarrassed and resentful, responds by saying “I don’t love anybody” (256). Kreb’s response came from experiencing the destruction of war. Kreb’s harsh answer results in his mother crying. This external conflict, between mother and son, is resolved when Kreb says “I didn’t mean it, I was just angry at something” (256). The external conflict Kreb has with his mother reveals a side of Kreb that was formed from fighting in the