My initial reaction to this story was that it seemed to have a parralel narrative of what happened to soldiers after the Vietnam war. Vietnam veterans were treated poorly after the war but looking deeper into “Soldier’s Home,” I don’t believe Krebs was being treated poorly.
On the surface it seems that Krebs went to war and his world moved on without him. Upon return he finds he has been too far removed to get back into the “advanced society.” I believe though, that Hemmingway was trying to show that the town was the same but it was Krebs that had changed. Hemmingway uses repetition by stating what Krebs had learned in the army. The reader doesn’t truly have any reason to believe the town has changed at all. The girls maybe, but not the town.
Another sense of repetition is shown in things Krebs like; girls, pool, his sister. Those things were there when he left and there when he came back. Ultimately i think Hemmingway wants the reader to understand that soldiers change and society should be more receptive to those changes. That being said, soldiers must understand that those of us who never took part in war might find it difficult to connect with soldiers. Do you believe that Hemmingway chose the name “Soldiers Home” ironically or literally? That is, is the town truly Krebs home anymore?
