Symbolism In Soldier's Home By Ernest Hemingway

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Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home” is about a young U.S. Marine who goes by the name of Krebs. He returns home from WWI to find that nothing in his hometown has changed. Krebs parents never acknowledge him for his sacrificed and dedication to serve in the war. He suffers from post-war trauma and depression. While trying to tell his family and friends about his war stories he realizes that no one wants to listen to anymore war stories. Krebs must make up lies so that people will listen, only to dig himself into a deeper hole of more lies. Ernest Hemingway uses symbolism, irony, and setting to present a them about the challenges veterans face when reentering civilian life. Hemingway uses symbolism to describe how soldiers have the inability to lead a normal life and the struggles that are faced after …show more content…

The story opens with a photo of Krebs “attending Methodist college in Kansas before enlisting in the Marines to fight in World War I.” (“Overview: ‘Soldier’s Home’”). Krebs was in the Europe nation where he engaged in WWI. Many American veterans returned from fighting in areas such as Europe and Germany. After the war, Krebs returns to his small-town home in Oklahoma. The war ended in 1918 however, Krebs did not return home until 1919. When Krebs returns, “He is home, but it is no soldier’s home to which he has returned.” (Smelstor 3793). Krebs fills his day with sleep, reading, playing pool, and watching all the pretty girls from his porch. Throughout the story, the only way Krebs can draw in attention is by making up lies about his involvement in the war. His mother begs him to get a job and they pray together. “After this emotional lie, Harold Krebs decides to leave the Oklahoma town, go to Kansas City for a job, and live his life simply and smoothly.” (Smelstor 3794). In the end, Soldier’s Home represents only a place that is no longer what Krebs once called

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