Differences And Homecomings In Soldier's Home By E. Hemingway

Where we come from allows us to see the world differently; it can give us privilege, acknowledgment, standard. This, in turn, allows us to interpret the world from our point of view. In Soldier’s Home by E. Hemingway for example we’re told the story of soldier Krebs who returns home post post-war and has clear difficulty readjusting to life back home because the war, France, and Germany is all he knows now. His tardiness in return after the war seems to have started this internal, non acceptance of the truth in his stories because that part of post-war homecomings was over. This, in turn, leads Krebs into his post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by relinquishing his voice, his stories, and how he feels. We see this with Krebs refusal to establish

In everyday life, we take the time to network with different people to establish a kind of relationship, and take time to get to know others personally to establish a more romantic relationship. However, in Soldier’s Home, the narrator tells us that Krebs would not (or could not) make the effort to establish relationships because the army had taught him that he did not need to have a girl in his life. He did not want to get into the “intrigue” and “politics”, the “complexity”, the “courting”, he did not want to spend the time because in Germany it was much more different; the girls would just come and there wouldn’t have to be any conversing. His mother at one point even mentions a Charles Simmons, who is just Krebs age, and the “other boys” who are getting married and settling down. She doesn’t mention at all whether Simmons and the other boys also returned from war but, seems to encourage her son to work towards also settling back. If Simmons and the other boys were did go and return from the military could they have easily adjusted from the military lifestyle because they did not spend that time abroad? Or were they at an advantage when they returned because everyone wanted to walk about the war, making it almost therapeutical. Perhaps this is why Krebs continues this cycled routine he has and why he withholds or lacks

This explains why we feel for someone who has endured through grief as well as offer our condolences in those moments. These are understandably emotions, feelings for any given tragedy that have occurred, but how would someone who’s come from a place where “...German women were found chained to machine guns…”, or places like “Belleau Wood, Soissons, the Champagne, St. Mihiel, and in the Argonne… [sites of battles in World War I in which American troops were instrumental in pushing back the Germans.]” be able to understand sympathy and sorrow? Perhaps Krebs cannot feel or show his emotions anymore because no one knew who would be making it back; any personal interaction created room for the emotional toll of loss. This more than likely carried over to what is shown in the story with Krebs’s mother and sister. Where we come from plays a significant role in the way we interact. Having gone through the war, we see the world continuing around a person who has difficulty establishing relationships, breaking from routine, and projecting emotion. This is mentioned in the story by Krebs’ military definition of girlfriends, the noticeable routine he undergoes every day, and how he spoke to his mother before an apologetic prayer. All there is left do is wonder how long people who return from war like Krebs have to fight the war after war for their views