Ernest Hemingway Soldier's Home Essay

A Response to Soldier’s Home

The story “Soldier’s Home,” written by Ernest Hemmingway, is about a young man, Harold Krebs, returning to his small hometown in Oklahoma following World War I. Hemmingway opens the story just as Krebs leaves his Methodist college in Kansas to enlist in the Marines in 1917. He does not return home until two years later in the summer of 1919. Krebs does not get to return home with the first group of soldiers. By the time that Krebs returns home, the heroes’ welcome is over, everyone has moved on from the war and the townspeople have returned to their normal routine. Krebs was not greeted with excitement or celebration, instead most thought it was rather absurd he was returning so long after the war had ended. Krebs

There is also conflict between Krebs and his family. Regardless of how the rest of the town felt, Krebs was still a hero to his younger sisters. His mother would have done anything for him, even breakfast in bed. She was concerned for her son and often asked for him to tell her about the war, although she never really listened. In Krebs’ family his father was the only one that never seemed to be around (Hemmingway 167). It seems Krebs’ family were the only ones he had any kind of connection with, but Krebs’ struggled just as much to talk to them as he did everyone else in town. He seems to have a good relationship with his sister, Helen, and thinks of her as, “his best sister” (Hemmingway 168). Helen has probably what is the best conversation with Krebs at breakfast one morning. Helen tells Krebs about her indoor softball game at school, later that day, and invites him to come. Helen asks Krebs if he loves her and Krebs replies with a less than enthusiastic, “Uh, huh.” Krebs is still unable to commit to going to Helen’s game though (Hemmingway

His mother has worried about him since he returned home, but she remained silent for the first month. One day while Krebs was eating breakfast, his mother finally confronted him. “Have you decided what you are going to do yet, Harold?” she asked. Followed by, “Don’t you think its about time?” (Hemmingway 169). Krebs could not give an answer though, just that he had not thought about it. His mother goes on to tell Krebs how much she had worried about him and that she has been praying for him. Krebs does not respond and instead he only, “looked at the bacon fat hardening on his plate.” (Hemmingway 170). Krebs had been changed by the war and could not even say that he loved his own mother. His mother begins to cry and Krebs lies to her saying, “I was just angry at something. I didn’t mean I didn’t love you.” (Hemmingway 170). Krebs pleads with his mother to believe him and she does. Krebs tells her that he will, “be a good boy.” (Hemmingway