Blogger Assignment 1

A Soldier's Home "Welcome Home"

Modernism refers to the change of literature and art during the post World War I period.  In Soldier’s Home, WWI had a positive and negative affect on the characters, lifestyles, and the overall literature. Krebs was a character in the novel that was enlisted into the war in the summer of 1919. Krebs’ life was changed immensely from the start of war to the end of the war. Before he was enlisted, he had certain lifestyle practices and routines that he would do at home. “Before Krebs went away to the war he had never been allowed to drive the family motor car.” (Page 2) Also, Krebs noticed after being home from war that not much changed. He only noticed a change in the women, they had grown up and changed. He noticed the change in their fashion and the trends that were occurring throughout the public. Although, he learned from the war that he did not need a girl. “It was all right to pose as though you had to have a girl. Nearly everybody did that. But it wasn’t true. You did not need a girl.” (Page 2) Krebs knew you didn’t need a girl unless you thought about them often. If you really wanted one, it would come and you would get one. Krebs was also mentally affected by the war. He became more isolated at home, and he didn’t want to leave Germany to come home. Krebs, like all the other soldiers, always wanted to tell stories about the war. Although, he didn’t have anybody to tell the stories to. Nobody wanted to listen to him, because he came home late and everybody was told stories. Krebs was being mentally wrecked by this, because he wanted to let out his thoughts and feelings. To solve this problem, he was constantly telling lies to the public to gather attention. Krebs was also mentally destroyed with his religion and family thoughts. Krebs said he didn’t belong to God’s kingdom anymore when he was talking to his mother about the war. Krebs also told his mom that he didn’t love her anymore, because she said she was very worried about him and the things he was exposed to at the war. Krebs parents were telling him that they were worried, because Krebs didn’t seem to have any ambition to set goals and have an aim in his life. They wanted Krebs to become somebody and settle down with a family. Krebs was mentally wrecked from the war, his life was complicated to him now. Nothing felt the same to him anymore, and he didn’t have a drive in life. Soldier’s Home was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1925. Ernest Hemingway gave the readers a good view of a young man who was completely tormented from his awful experiences in the war. He showed us that the young man came to a realization when he returned home from war, he realized that he doesn’t belong to his childhood home anymore, and he decides to leave. His family was also affected, as they tried to relieve their son from post-war trauma. Soldier’s Home showed Modernism through the physical and mental affects which World War I had on the characters and lifestyles during the times of trauma and relief throughout America.


http://www.hemingwaypreservationfoundation.org/soldiers-home-by-ernest-hemingway.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier's_Home