Collateral Change In Soldier's Home By Ernest Hemingway

The aftermath of war leaves many complications. Collateral damage, harmed civilians, and economic turmoil are some that we can easily discern. One side effect we can not clearly detect is emotional damage of our soldiers from war. In “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, we see the main character, Harold Kreb, return from war late, missing the victory parades and celebration. Without a homecoming celebration to help Kreb transition back to daily life, he doesn’t feel quite at home. Although not physically wounded by the war but instead mentally damaged, Kreb’s family does not help with his transition, nor do they understand that he has been changed. Kreb’s life is soon consumed by only two things: sleeping and thinking about the war. Finally, …show more content…
A mother’s bond with her children is expected to be innate, yet Kreb’s mother struggles to communicate with her isolated son. Hemingway introduces the character of Kreb’s mother as a upstanding Christian who longs to fix her son’s depression, which only makes him stray farther from her. Kreb’s mother is in a complete alternate world from her son. She views success as settling down and getting an average job, which shows a contrast of ideals between her and her son. Kreb’s mother symbolizes the “old generation” during post World War 1, while her son symbolizes the “lost generation”. People that came of age during World War 1 were seen as the “lost generation” because of their inapplicable values and spiritual alienation from an America that, at the time, was emotionally barren. Like most parents at the time of post World War 1, Kreb’s mother does not understand her son’s detachment from real life. Instead of worrying about her son’s mental state, she hopes for him to get a good job and settle down with a girl because that is the only way her older generation saw and understood …show more content…
With his use of tone, Hemingway provided a clear and honest truth behind veterans’ mindsets returning from war. The tone of this story gives an effect of isolation and detachment from the real world, which is how the main character was currently feeling. Symbols displayed a deeper meaning to the main character’s life and proved how Kreb is truly isolated. Hemingway’s few characters show how Kreb’s relationships and therefore himself have altered during his time at war. With Hemingway’s effective use of characters, symbols, and tone this story presents Kreb’s loss of innocence following the war and his struggle with being an outcast in a society he once participated in