The Hollow Men By Ernest Hemingway Analysis

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Communication is identified as very important in both the story “Soldier’s Home” written by Ernest Hemingway and in the poem“The Hollow Men” which was written by T.S. Eliot. These examples evidence how critical communication is to the human psyche and its ability to cope with traumatic experiences. Communication in these examples serves to ward off alienation and is an especially important factor in demonstrating how the soldiers change when confronted with an emotionally disturbing experience. It also is significant in understanding the protagonists. Alienation will result from a lack of communication or being cut off from the world. It is presented in both works as a looming threat hanging over the protagonists. It is presented in both works as a looming threat hanging over the protagonists. This is shown, for example, by a passage from paragraph 2 of “The Hollow Men”, “We whisper together. Are quiet and meaningless.” This suggests how the hollow men collectively feel disregarded because they see that their words have no impact and are essentially meaningless. This kind of thinking contributes to feeling estranged from society. They realize that their lack of power contributes to their lack of ability to communicate. Another example, in paragraph 3 of “Soldier’s Home,” states: “Later he felt the need to talk but no one wanted to hear about it.” This returning soldier, Krebs, feels the need to open up and share with others about his experience, but with no willing or