Rose 1 Lindsey Rose K Overcash ENG 112 PO1 6 April 2022 Literary Analysis of A Soldiers Home By Earnest Hemingway A soldiers home by Earnest Hemingway is a post war themed short story depicting the after effects of war on society showing symbolism of societies opinion of post war soldiers This short story depicts the impact of war on society and the lack of understanding that civilians have towards soldier s inability to successfully integrate back into everyday life Although there was a draft for this war Krebs enlisted into the marines and the opposition may feel that because he inflicted war onto himself he should not have any sympathy of the after effects Though he did enlist his sense of patriotism for his country compelled him to fight the effects of combat weren t widely spoken of therefore Krebs was unaware of the negative effects of being a soldier Krebs post traumatic stress disorder effects of war represents the impact of war on society and his mother s inability to understand his issues symbolizes how society was very close minded with regards to post war veterans A Soldiers home depicts a theme of societies lack of empathy for veterans leaving them required to attempt to conform to normal way of living The war was over Hemingway people seemed to think it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late Hemingway This passage represents the negative connotation the town has towards him and other returning veterans Krebs late arrival home left him without any welcoming parties or celebration from his town The towns distaste for war was apparent in Krebs social interactions Because the town had already heard many horrific stories about the war the theme of conformity Rose 2 was read when Krebs had to lie and fake his social exchanges with his family and the townspeople so much so that he too grew a distaste for war Krebs found that to be listened to at all he had to lie and after he had done this twice he too had a reaction against the war and against talking about it Hemingway A distaste for everything that had happened to him in the War set in because of the lies he had told Hemingway His attempt to conform to everyday society left him feeling even less of a sense of belonging and unable to properly express himself Krebs was unable to be himself this requirement to conform left him as an outcast looking at the townspeople from afar Symbolism was shown by Hemingway through Krebs mother and father Krebs parents could symbolize the opinion of society regarding veterans You know we love you and I want to tell you for your own good how matters stand Your father does not want to hamper your freedom He thinks you should be allowed to drive the car If you want to take some of the nice girls out riding with you we are only too pleased We want you to enjoy yourself But you are going to have to settle down to work Harold Your father doesn t care what you start in at All work is honorable as he says But you ve got to make a start at something He asked me to speak to you this morning and then you can stop in and sec him at his office Hemingway Krebs mother and his father s inability to comprehend his feelings or lack thereof was relevant to society s view and unempathetic stance to soldiers returning from combat Krebs numbness and inability to cope with his experience of war left him stranded in a society that expected him to jump right back into their way of life Krebs reading a history book of the war he fought in is another symbol in this short story His inability to conform to society left him an outsider and the book represented his home It was ironic that Krebs felt ease and a sense of belonging when reading about the war while sitting on his front porch looking at the town from afar Rose 3 Overall Hemingway was exceptional at using symbolism to help further the post war mentality in this short story After reading this short story the theme of societies opinion towards veterans and their requirement of conformity was depicted Little empathy was shown to Krebs from the townspeople or his family Though there wasn t a strong stance against war the overall current was apparent through Hemingway s powerful ability to use symbolism to represent the view of society through Krebs interactions with his parents Their lack of understanding for potential mental problems from his traumatic experiences left him feeling as if he were alone in a foreign world Narrating Krebs feelings gave insight on the internal struggles of returning combat veterans of that era making the reader have more empathy towards him His inability to conform was interpreted through his avoidance of social interactions and blatant lies to avoid conflict His fascination of reading the history of the war proved his lack of sense of belonging in his hometown and more so reliving the past