Krebs In Soldier's Home

Coming Home In the short story “Soldier’s Home”, written by Ernest Hemingway, Krebs, the main character, comes home from WWI and has a difficult time adjusting back to civilian life. He seems to have PTSD, and is distant from civilian life. War has damaging effects on its victims, both physically and mentally. Those who serve make sacrifices, and their life often time changes, due to what they have to do, and what they have done. In Krebs case, WWI stayed with him mentally and made him a different person. Krebs came home late from WWI and therefore was not given the welcome home his comrades had received. Some even saw it as he was not really in the war, “People seemed to think it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late, years after the war was over” (Hemingway, 1). He did not like to speak of the war at first, which is common among most veterans, especially those that have seen the unimaginable. This leads the reader to believe Krebs is a battle hardened veteran, who had seen a lot during the war. The quote, “Krebs, who had been at Belleau Wood, Soissons, the Champagne, St.Mihiel and in the Argonne” supports that Krebs had seen many battles during the war (Hemingway, 2). When he was ready to talk about the war “no one wanted to hear about it” because they had all “heard too many

Krebs life is forever changed. He needs to move on but has a difficult time doing so. He lives in his childhood home when he returns home. Krebs battles a sort of depression, staying in bed often, never going out, and just being detached. At one point when asked by his mother if he loves her he says no. Krebs lost his ability to love, and is detached from everyone. He had given multiple sacrifices to serve his country from the beginning. In the story it states, “Krebs went to the war from a Methodist college in Kansas,” which shows he gave up college to go serve his country (Hemingway,