Soldiers Home Analysis

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Modern studies are revealing that soldiers returning home from war are experiencing psychological damage far more painful and damaging than the physical injuries that they endured overseas. PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) is the term now given to soldiers that have trouble readjusting to normal life once they return home from war. In the days of World War I and World War II, this term was referred to as “shell shocked.” Ernest Hemingway masterfully depicts a clear image of what life was like for a shell shocked soldier through the eyes of Herald Kreb’s in his story Soldier’s Home. Kreb’s experiences over seas causes him to be emotionless towards girls and dating, afraid of complications, and this attitude reveals the truth that he has become heartless. Harold Kreb’s experiences in the war over seas causes him to be emotionless towards girls and dating. Before he volunteers to enlist in the military, Kreb’s is known to be quite sociable and is even a member of a fraternity at his Methodist college. After he returns from the war, he is exceedingly distant towards those around him and also detached from reality. Kreb’s spends a considerable amount of time each day sitting on his front porch and observing the pretty Johnson 2 girls that pass …show more content…

His experiences over seas caused him to be emotionless, afraid of complications, and devastatingly heartless. Hemingway’s depiction of the shell shocked soldier goes to prove that those suffering from PTSD have a difficult time readjusting to the life they are expected to live after experiencing the tragedies of war. More can be done to ensure that these psychologically injured soldiers are taken care of and rehabilitated so that they are able to fit back into society. If Kreb’s had went through proper treatment, perhaps he would not have felt so alone in the

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