As you already know, war and its affects are major themes in Hemingway's writings. In the introduction I mentioned that Hemingway was wounded in battle. When he returned home, he could not adjust to situations in the United States. In a sense, he was alone and frightened by new surroundings. In the short story Soldier's Home, we see a slight comparison to the feelings of Hemingway returning home from war. (Hemingway coming home from Italy) The story Soldier's Home is about a man named Krebs, the protagonist, who returns home from battle in Germany. But his return was not greeted; he came home much too late. Hemingway sets the tone of the story by suggesting that the town thought, it was rather ridiculous for Krebs to be getting back so late, years after the war was over. Here Hemingway starts to develop the overall tone of the story; desolation, driven by the traumas of war. Krebs wants some sort of attention, but the town responds by paying no attention. This is shown when Hemingway writes about Krebs wanting to talk about the war "Later he felt the need to talk but no one wanted to hear about it. His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities. As the story continues, Hemingway takes a turn and tries to relate Krebs with women. Krebs sits on the porch of his family's house and watches girls walk by. But, even though he wants a girl, he can't approach one. Hemingway describes that Krebs does not want to get into the intrigue and the politics of getting a girl. I think Hemingway shows that Krebs is suffering from post-war affects when he writes, He did not want any consequences. He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live along without consequences. Besides he did not really need a girl. After experiencing the consequences of war, Krebs needs simple and comfortable situations to rest his mind, not complications. Hemingway goes on to explain how Krebs prefers French and German girls, rather than American.
