Introduction
Inspired by the effects of the World War I on soldiers, Ernest Hemingway, published a short story titled Soldier’s Home, based on the life a soldier named Krebs, who struggles to cope with life after coming back from war. The book was first published in 1925 by the Contact Collection of Contemporary Writers in the United States of America, Ohio. The story is an autobiography since the author lived and witnessed the periods and events, pre and post the first World War. Ernest Hemingway tries to share the treatment he received from his parents after his time in Europe during the war. Ernest Hemingway compares the two fictional lives of Harold Krebs after and before the war. The story reflects events of the World War I and how it impacted soldiers, and Ernest used a fictional Harold Krebs to bring his thought to life. Harold Krebs feels rather neglected, as his return not cordially celebrated as he would wish (Mahmood 3). Krebs has to ‘cook’ stories to attempt get attention.
The World War poised a political unrest and economic suppression, with the family becoming the hard hit, due to death of soldiers in the war, unawareness of being and trauma from the events of the war (Fitriani 40). Harold Krebs surely does not return home the same person as before the war. The setting of the story clearly reflects the period of the first World War, pre and post. The author, Ernest Hemingway, who was an active member of the society during this period as a novelist and journalist had witnessed the World War, documented it and had clear thoughts for writing the short story (Magelang 88). The period was a warring era; thus, the title Soldier’s Home represents the World War and the effects at home, that is, the post war syndrome.
Critic 1
Trout, Steven. “Returning from the Great War: Gender, Home, and Hostility in Ernest Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home” and Thomas Boyd’s” The Long Shot“.” Midwestern Miscellany 47, 2019, 23-27.
Steven Trout first published the article, ‘‘Returning from the Great War?’’ to critic the article by Ernest Hemingway in the university of Idaho, department of English in the year 2000. The author reviews Ernest Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home from the perspective of post-World War I reflection on American issues rather than a fictional story. Trout argues that Soldier’s Home in addition to its broad portraiture of lost generation angst, a more specific topicality not readily apparent to the readers today. However, this author assesses the post war veteran’s experiences especially with the hardship they experienced. This point of view emphasizes on McKenna and Raabe’s perspective that experiences can affect a person’s temperament. It, however, differs from other critics’ assessment who suggests that this story elevates the attention of both and past readers.
Critic 2
Milne, Ira Mark, project editor. A Study Guide for Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home”. Gale, Cengage Learning, (2016): 4-7.
With the direction of the project editor, Ira Mark Milne, the work A Study Guide for Ernest Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home was published to review the book by Ernest Hemingway, in the year 2016 in the United States. The editor considers Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home as a fine piece that continues to mesmerize critics and readers alike. According to the editor, aside from Soldier’s Home being a reflection of Hemingway’s experience, it also relates to the imaginations of the present readers. The editor also gives an account of Soldier’s Home detailing the events in the book. He illustrates Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home as a simple but profound story of a young war veteran relieving the effects of the war – a finely nuanced work, a story that moves forward, paradoxically, more through what Hemingway does not include that what he does. This story, however, unlike John, David and Trout, he examines the plot and content of the story. It also compares the story to Hemingway’s life experiences – which also emphasizes the other critics assessments.
Critic 3
McKenna, John J., and David M. Raabe. “Using temperament theory to understand conflict in Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home“.” Studies in Short Fiction 34.2 (2017): 203.
McKenna and Raabe explore Hemingway’s “Soldiers Home” from the perspective of a person’s core values. They look at how war affected a young veteran Kerbs’ core value. They take a different approach from the other two critics. They explore how the young veteran was affected by the war and how his core values were implicated. This perspective is a known as temperament theory. Unlike Trout’s criticism, these authors consider this article authentic to modern readers. However, they both agree that the main aspect of the story is how a person’s experience can affect their temperament. Similar to the fictitious character of the young veteran, people are constantly changing when their core values are affected. These authors agree with Gale’s criticism as they consider this article accurate and significant to modern readers.
Thesis Statement
To an extent, these critics are somehow accurate, especially, Trout and McKenna and Raabe who deeply assess how Hemingway’s and Kerbs’ experiences could have impacted on their temperament. McKenna and Raabe explore how a person’s core values might affect their temperament. According to Tsai, temperamental factors shape a person’s character. However, Trout’s assessment, people understand and glorify war heroes more. There is improved understanding of war and how war affect the soldiers. As such there is a more empathetic view of the war veterans, which would interest modern readers. Author Gale in his critic also emphasize that Hemingway’s “Soldiers Home” is continues to mesmerize readers and critiques alike, which is indeed accurate, considering that the book is one of the most reviewed pieces to date.
Conclusion
Harold Krebs finds himself in dilemma, where he attempts to fix his life by lying in order to fit in the society, that is rather modern than he left it before the World War. Readers learn to be real and learn to naturally cope with the society. The society will find a way to welcome and appreciate them, seen where Krebs sister sees a legend and hero in him. The period of the first World War had dire impact of political status, economy, but more significantly on the societal relationship of war men, and their family. The article by Ernest Hemingway portrays the speed at which the society changes move. The world moves on regardless of the existence or influence of one person. While, the memory and significance may not be forgotten, it is difficult, or say not practical for the whole society to change their way of living to accommodate one who has been absent for some time, as in the case of Harold Krebs (Donehoo 7). The human mind and the society have learnt to live and adapt to current condition, making the new member to adapt and fit into the society. Besides, life events change decision making; when lying and faking do not live up to the main character’s expectation of fitting in the society, he realizes the need to be real.
Works Cited
Milne, Ira Mark, project editor. A Study Guide for Ernest Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home”. Gale, Cengage Learning, (2016): 4-7. Web.
Hemingway, Ernest. “Soldier’s Home.” 1925.” The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Scribner’s (1938): 145-153.
Karjagdiu, L., Kryeziu, N., & Spahiu, I. “The Reception of Ernest Hemingway’s Works in Albanian Literature and Culture.” AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, 5, 2021, 151-168. Web.
Trout, Steven. “Returning from the Great War: Gender, Home, and Hostility in Ernest Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home” and Thomas Boyd’s” The Long Shot”.” Midwestern Miscellany 47 (2019): 23-27. Web.
Tsai, J. L. (2017). “Ideal Affect in Daily Life: Implications for Affective Experience, Health, and Social Behavior.” Current Opinion in Psychology, 17, 118-128. Web.
Magelang, Anton. “Analysis on the Plot of Short Story” Soldier’s Home” By Ernest Hemingway.” Matai International Journal of Language Education 1.2 (2021): 82-90. Web.
Mahmood, Snoor Ismael. “After-effect of War on Characters in Ernest Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home” and Katherine Mansfield’s” The Fly.” Journal of the University of Garmian 6 (2019): 3. Web.
Fitriani, Dewi. “An Analysis of Idiosyncrasy in Ernest Hemingway’s Characterization in The Selected Short Stories.” E3L: Journal of English Teaching, Linguistic, and Literature, 1(1), 2021, 38-46. Web.
Donehoo, Molly J. “The Significance of the Game of Pool in Ernest Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home”.” Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1773, (2018): 5-10. Web.