After the war, soldiers tend to find themselves vulnerable despite their new peaceful environments. Their religious beliefs suffer detrimental consequences and some have even professed their discomfort despite being surrounded by family and friends. In the short story, the author illustrates that Krebs’ religious beliefs are affected enormously. It is extremely clear that Krebs believed in Christianity before enlisting in the Marines towards the end of the First World War. The fact that he attended a Methodist institution in Kansas prior to his assignment in Europe suggests that he had considerable tolerance to Christianity. Hemmingway refers to a certain picture where Krebs posed with some of the members from his church community in an apparent proclamation of his undying faith in God (1). In the photograph, everybody, including Krebs wore similar outfits, which effectively suggest the fact that Krebs used to identify with the Christianity remarkably well (Hemmingway 1). In other words, the youthful man was totally in agreement with his mother’s religious beliefs and values. This could be attributed to the fact that he was still young and had absolutely no reason to question God’s abilities. Krebs returns home after the war as a completely changed man. He used to agree with his mother’s Christian values, but he now questions its integrity because of the Great War. When his mother …show more content…
War veterans make up a significant percentage of the homeless population (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 23). This is largely demonstrated by Krebs discomfort in his home. This hints at the fact that war veterans find it difficult to lead comfortable lives in the relatively safer environments away from the battle fields. Harold Krebs’ mother expresses her fears regarding employment in their conversation during breakfast. It is quite clear that before enlisting for the military, Krebs had been a focused youth with the promise of an extremely bright future. His mother conveys his parents’ concerns regarding his future plans. His father for instance, is concerned that Krebs is not ambitious enough. Before the war, Krebs spent his time around family, friends and the church community. His mother is concerned that Krebs is wasting valuable time while his age mates are already settling down and “becoming credit” to the community. His experiences during World War I had a detrimental implication on the way he related with his surroundings. He views life from a different perspective and does not pay attention to his parents’ pleas for a transformed attitude. All he does nowadays is read books on war, walk in the evenings, watch girls from his front porch and practice on his clarinet (Hemmingway