The Pitfalls of Communication
Communication is identified as very important in both “Soldier’s Home” Ernest Hemingway and in “The Hollow Men” which was written by T.S. Eliot. Through these texts communication is shown to be incredibly important to the human psyche’s ability to cope with traumatic experiences. Communication in these examples functions to ward off alienation, be an incredibly important factor in displaying how soldiers change, and be significant in understanding the protagonists. Alienation can be seen as a lack of communication or being cut off from the world. It is presented in both works as a looming threat hanging over the protagonists. For example in paragraph 2 of The Hollow Men it says, “We whisper together. Are quiet and meaningless.” This shows how the hollow men collectively feel …show more content…
In The Hollow Men in lines 49-51 it says, “At the hour when we are trembling with tenderness. Lips that would kiss. Form prayers to broken stone.” This idea communicates that the soldiers have grown to an understanding that to worship god in crucial moments is futile. In paragraph 4 of Soldier’s Home Krebs explains that his lies were not sensational when spoken to people who had seen the war firsthand. What he said had no effect because these young men had already seen such terrible things as women chained to machine guns during the war. The fact that when Kreb shares his lie and it receives no reply speaks for how emotionally detached the soldiers have become. This response also speaks volumes as to how exposed to this kind of news the civilians are. Having come back late from the war Krebs is trying to find a soul to talk to, but because he has come back late everything he could possibly say is old news. The locals have heard enough about the bloodshed and they can choose to ignore it. The soldiers like Kreb cannot. Their part in the war became entwined with who they
Communication is identified as very important in both “Soldier’s Home” Ernest Hemingway and in “The Hollow Men” which was written by T.S. Eliot. Through these texts communication is shown to be incredibly important to the human psyche’s ability to cope with traumatic experiences. Communication in these examples functions to ward off alienation, be an incredibly important factor in displaying how soldiers change, and be significant in understanding the protagonists. Alienation can be seen as a lack of communication or being cut off from the world. It is presented in both works as a looming threat hanging over the protagonists. For example in paragraph 2 of The Hollow Men it says, “We whisper together. Are quiet and meaningless.” This shows how the hollow men collectively feel …show more content…
In The Hollow Men in lines 49-51 it says, “At the hour when we are trembling with tenderness. Lips that would kiss. Form prayers to broken stone.” This idea communicates that the soldiers have grown to an understanding that to worship god in crucial moments is futile. In paragraph 4 of Soldier’s Home Krebs explains that his lies were not sensational when spoken to people who had seen the war firsthand. What he said had no effect because these young men had already seen such terrible things as women chained to machine guns during the war. The fact that when Kreb shares his lie and it receives no reply speaks for how emotionally detached the soldiers have become. This response also speaks volumes as to how exposed to this kind of news the civilians are. Having come back late from the war Krebs is trying to find a soul to talk to, but because he has come back late everything he could possibly say is old news. The locals have heard enough about the bloodshed and they can choose to ignore it. The soldiers like Kreb cannot. Their part in the war became entwined with who they