In Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home”, Harold Krebs is a WWI veteran returning home to a small town in Oklahoma. The townsfolk are oblivious to the realities faced by someone like him, who have experienced conflict. A common issue with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is trouble assimilating back into society, including previously held religious views. Like many veterans, Harold Krebs has difficulty with the idea of God after his experiences of war. Suffering the horrors of war skews a veteran’s world view. Society undercuts the ordeal that soldiers go through and “…trauma exposure can have varying effects on religious and spiritual aspects of peoples’ lives…” (Perera 27). Civilians are ignorant to the experiences of soldiers. They think of …show more content…
war as a heroic affair, when in reality the atrocities experienced are unspeakable. Krebs discovers that the town doesn’t even appreciate his war stories so he feels he has to embellish and lie. The soldier was unable to talk about what really happened to him or work through his feelings. “In this way he lost everything.” (Hemingway 251). What started out as meaningless lies to entertain, ended up driving Krebs deeper into himself. He lost all relatability. Additionally, veterans harbor a great amount of guilt for what they have done in service to their country. “Feelings of personal responsibility for killing others and for failing to prevent the death of others…contribute to a weakening of religious faith” (Fontana 582). Krebs is forced to reconcile the evils of man with his belief in a just God. He was apparently Methodist before he joined the marines but now he has seen and done things that are not in line with his previous religious views. When persuading Krebs to look for work, his mother says, “There can be no idle hands in His kingdom“(Hemingway 255). Recalling the violence he was obligated to take part in, Krebs states, “I’m not in His kingdom” (Hemingway 255). Krebs cannot merge the beauty of God’s kingdom with the hell he experienced in Europe during war time. Moreover, after a traumatic experience, the meaning of life comes in to question. Soldiers operate with a moral code and morality and ethics are existential ideas. The threat of dying “…is tied to one’s subconscious awareness of meaningless and helplessness in his or her existence” (Suzuki 2070).
Krebs came home looking for a reason, if not appreciation, for the freedom he had fought for. Not only did he not get the gratitude he was after, “people seemed think it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late…” (Hemingway 250). Krebs needed to believe that there was a good reason for the crimes he committed in the name of freedom. Once the townsfolk disregarded him, he struggled to find the meaning of his existence. Besides, Krebs would do well to listen to his mother and join in her piety. “… Both increases in religious commitment and higher self-perceived growth…were associated with increased distress over time, suggesting that these may be strategies for coping with PTSD” (Perera 28). Harold Krebs may be able to successfully assimilate back into society by surrendering himself to God and working on personal growth. Only when he confronts the demons on the inside, can he work on creating interpersonal relationships with others. Eventually Krebs gives in “so his mother prayed for him and then they stood up and Krebs kissed his mother and went out of the
house” (Hemingway 256). By regressing to his mother’s little boy Krebs is able to participate in prayer with her. When Krebs gets over his fear of communication and social interaction with others he is able to take part in a meaningful existence. By recognizing Krebs as her little baby boy, his mother forces him to identify with his self as he was before the war. In the end it seems as if the interaction of praying with his mother helped Krebs make some decisions about his future. Veterans face many difficulties in adjusting back to civilian life after military service. Finding God’s purpose in a society that is naïve to the realities of war is one of those difficulties. As a WWI veteran, Harold Krebs cannot reconcile his previously held notion of God with the horrors he faced on the battlefield. Reintegrating into the society he left requires personal and spiritual growth.
In the story “Home Soil” by Irene Zabytko, the reader is enlightened about a boy who was mentally and emotionally drained from the horrifying experiences of war. The father in the story knows exactly what the boy is going through, but he cannot help him, because everyone encounters his or her own recollection of war. “When their faces are contorted from sucking the cigarette, there is an unmistakable shadow of vulnerability and fear of living. That gesture and stance are more eloquent than the blood and guts war stories men spew over their beers” (Zabytko 492). The father, as a young man, was forced to reenact some of the same obligations, yet the father has learne...
Junger 125: Through this quote, Junger gives a realistic wake-up call to the readers. Depression and PTSD rates in soldiers are so high because they come back from war, to a society that is at war with itself. Junger concludes that modern society is completely disconnected from our tribal instincts, this disconnection is what leads to PTSD and other mental disorders. This disconnection is shown through the hostility that civilians in America have towards one another, as well as the many statistics Junger provides on a variety of topics.
The reality that shapes individuals as they fight in war can lead to the resentment they have with the world and the tragedies that they had experienced in the past. Veterans are often times overwhelmed with their fears and sensations of their past that commonly disables them to transgress and live beyond the emotions and apprehensions they witness in posttraumatic experiences. This is also seen in everyday lives of people as they too experience traumatic events such as September 11th and the fall of the World Trade Center or simply by regrets of decisions that is made. Ones fears, emotions and disturbances that are embraced through the past are the only result of the unconscious reality of ones future.
American soldiers have battled in conflicts they were involuntarily forced into by the draft, only to recognize the war formed within their minds would never truly cease and become a destructive syndrome hampering their ability to cope with society. In 1919, by Toni Morrison and The Red Convertible, by Louise Erdrich, Shadrack and Henry Lamartine are both attempted to reintroduce themselves into society, but suffered extreme psychological damage implanted by their experiences in military conflict. Although Shadrack and Henry attempted the same feat, they were still subject to differences caused by the era of their existence and the situation they were reintroduced into. Both Shadrack and Henry endured extensive amounts of Post-Traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD for short, causing virtually intolerable difficulties and consequently, exposing the idea of either Shadrack or Henry mentally returning to their pre-war psychological state as a fabricated hope.
“The Red Convertible” transports the reader to an environment where they can witness the changes in a soldier and horrible mental state for those soldiers with PTSD when they return from war. War affects a person’s relationships with people close to them and their relationships with themselves. Erdrich embodies those changes through the text in “The Red Convertible.”
their families who have suffered from war's visible and unseen effects. Some are still suffering to this day. The issues and ramifications which constitute their suffering will be examined in this
...has failed to help him deal with his inner emotions from his military experience. He has been through a traumatic experience for the past two years, and he does not have anyone genuinely interested in him enough to take the time to find out what's going on in his mind and heart. Kreb's is disconnected from the life he had before the war, and without genuine help and care from these people he lived with, and around all his childhood life, it's difficult to return to the routines that everyone is accustomed to.
In Kurt Vonnegut's book Slaughterhouse Five, the protagonist , Billy Pilgrim, the remains of a man who has become a traumatized war struck soldier. In creating and developing Billy Pilgrim, the war, along with family influence, shapes how Billy acts in his two different lives: life in the military and life alone. Billy Pilgrim is surely on a mission, because his excessive time travelling doesn’t seem to happen for no reason. Billy circulates around his life even through the moments of capital importance when he seems hopeless. He’s a mind boggling and confused man who tries to play the game of life the way society expects him to but sometimes has the feeling that he was meant for greater things. Vonnegut portrays our protagonist as an archetype, the epitome of a christ-like messiah who has come to save humanity.
...the battlefield by one of his comrades, Robert experiences difficulty trying to get to sleep. All he wanted was a dream. Escape. But nobody dreams on a Battlefield. There isn’t any sleep that long. War is something soldiers go to in hopes of escaping or leaving their lives back in their home land. For some people relatable to Robert, trying to “find” who you are in war is considered to be an option. Going to war does not mean that you are a man, and sadly is viewed upon as a “manly” duty. Roberts struggles are based on his personal and family life, which he is unable to find his true calling or meaning in life throughout all of the chaos within his life. War should not be a result of a person trying to find who they are. War can only cause more mental and physical problems that can be traumatic for the soldier themselves just as Robert had experienced first-hand.
In the story Soldier’s Home, one man stood alone without experiencing praise or attention by his town in Oklahoma after battling in a hard fought war to defend the great country of the United States of America. Harold Krebs, a marine sent into war, had experienced brutal and life changing scenes. When Krebs returned home from the war in 1919, the celebration of fighters had already ceased. “By the time Krebs returned to his hometown in Oklahoma, the greeting of heroes was over” (8). At this point, Krebs already felt he was of no worth to his town. He expected to have a warm welcome home but no one seemed to care about his return. However, Krebs didn’t want to face any consequences after what had happened in the war. Therefore, Harold tries to isolate himself from the town and doesn’t go out in public too often. Even though Krebs grew up in a town where everyone knew each other, the circumstances of the war hardened him to the point where he was no longer able to be in relationships with others.
Following negative feelings from close individuals in a Veteran’s life, a person taking part in war can become detached.
Children and adults that are familiar with God and that have been taught that God is love, often associated their traumatic experiences in a negative way to their spirituality. Children and adults may relate their trauma experienced to a retribution by a punitive God and it can disrupt their spiritual belief and connection with God or a divine being (Bryant-Davis, et al., 2012). Individuals’ that have experienced trauma at times develop a negative and unsafe view of the world. The world is no longer a safe place for them. This negative connotation of the world could lead to many adverse effects throughout the development stages of a person. It could lead to mental health as well as a complete rejection of one’s faith, and mistrust that can lead to the inhibition of formatting healthy relationships with others or with God. Although, children and adults could develop a negative view against their God due to the negative experience, spirituality can also be a source of strength and a mechanism that can lead to recovery. Many times victims of a traumatic event use their spirituality as a form of coping skill that leads to a better understanding and acceptance of their past or present circumstances. This positive view of spirituality can later be restored through means of different styles of
War can be as damaging to the human body as it is to the mind. In Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, this idea that war causes psychological disorders is represented throughout the book through the main character, Paul Baumer. This book follows the lives of young soldiers in World War I. Together, these men create powerful bonds. They go through terrifying experiences that continue to strengthen their bonds, but also destroy their mental state. Through Paul’s eyes, Remarque shows the devastation that war has on the mind.
...turning back. Once they have been robbed of their innocence, they are unable to revert to their previous selves. War and facing the inevitable reality of death can change a person and disturb them for the rest of their lifetime. Many soldiers are naïve when they decide to serve their country; they plan on becoming a hero like their role models of the past. But when one truly experiences war for themselves, they find it unimaginable how people continue to declare war and urge young men to fight and honor their nation and family. One will remain innocent until he experiences the genuine emotional trauma of war.
Bracken, Patrick and Celia Petty (editors). Rethinking the Trauma of War. New York, NY: Save the Children Fund, Free Association Books, Ltd, 1998.