Relationships between parents and their children are never easy, because they belong to different generation, and have therefore different values in life. This often leads to conflicts. But in the short story Soldier’s Home by Ernest Hemingway the protangonist Krebs and his mother do not have an usual generation conflict. Krebs has a changed character, because he has been to war. He does not have an aim in his life anymore. Krebs’s mother embodies the community’s values, and she makes Krebs start an adult life against his will. This includes that she encourages him to find a job, and a girlfriend. Moreover, she wants him to believe in God, and to show affection for her and the rest of the family.
Table of Contents
1 Unusual generation conflict
2 Mother influences Krebs
2.1 Find a job
2.2 Get a girlfriend
2.3 Believe in God
2.4 Show feelings
3 Krebs’s new life
Research Objectives and Themes
The essay analyzes how the protagonist’s mother in Ernest Hemingway’s "Soldier’s Home" embodies traditional community values and examines the psychological conflict that arises as she attempts to force her post-war veteran son to reintegrate into these societal norms against his will.
- The impact of war on individual identity and emotional detachment.
- The role of parental influence in enforcing community social standards.
- The conflict between personal autonomy and family expectations.
- The significance of religious practice and employment as community benchmarks.
- The psychological transformation of the protagonist to appease parental approval.
Excerpt from the Book
2.4 Show feelings
Krebs’s mother wants her son to show feelings for his familiy. After Krebs returned from war, he was not able to speak about his experiences, and later he felt that no one would listen to it, so he did not tell anyone about his feelings. Sometimes he even told lies. He imagined extraorinary stories to catch people’s attention. But most of the time he did not talk about anything. He does not seem to have a relationship to anybody. But his mother tries to get contact to him, to talk to him, and to influence him. When she finally asks him:”Don’t you love your mother dear boy?”(126), he answers “no”(126). He even adds: “I don’t love anybody” (126). This shows his unablility to have relationships and the show emotions. His mother is very shocked about his answer and starts crying. This indicates that she embodies the value, that childen must love their parents. By her crying she somehow force Krebs to show feeling, and to apologize. After that he even wants to go to his sisters baseball game. His attitude has change. He now tries to care for other people and to maintain relationships. In this way his mother made him show affection for his familiy.
Summary of Chapters
1 Unusual generation conflict: Introduces the unique dynamics between Krebs and his mother, highlighting how his post-war trauma differentiates their relationship from a typical generational gap.
2 Mother influences Krebs: Explores the systematic pressure exerted by the mother to align her son with societal norms regarding employment, relationships, religion, and emotional expression.
3 Krebs’s new life: Concludes with the protagonist’s decision to leave for Kansas City, illustrating the lasting impact of maternal influence on his eventual conformity.
Keywords
Soldier's Home, Ernest Hemingway, Harold Krebs, post-war trauma, community values, parental influence, generational conflict, social integration, emotional detachment, religious belief, autonomous life, family expectations, literary analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this essay?
The essay examines the relationship between Harold Krebs, a veteran returning from war, and his mother in Hemingway’s "Soldier’s Home," specifically focusing on how she enforces community values upon him.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The primary themes include the struggle for autonomy after traumatic experiences, the influence of family pressure, and the expectation of conformity to social and religious standards.
What is the main research question or objective?
The goal is to analyze how the mother embodies the values of their community and how these values are imposed upon Krebs, forcing him to start an adult life against his personal inclinations.
Which methodology is applied in the paper?
The paper uses a literary discussion approach, analyzing specific narrative instances and character dialogue from the short story to support the author's argument.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body breaks down the mother's influence into four specific areas: the pressure to find a job, the encouragement to seek a romantic partner, the requirement to be religious, and the expectation to display family affection.
Which keywords define this study?
Key terms include Soldier's Home, Hemingway, trauma, community values, parental influence, and social integration.
How does Krebs’s war experience affect his ability to express emotion?
His experiences have left him unable to maintain relationships or express affection, leading to a state of emotional detachment where he feels that others cannot understand his reality.
Why does Krebs eventually decide to move to Kansas City?
He decides to leave primarily to appease his mother and meet her expectations, rather than out of a personal desire to pursue a specific career or lifestyle.
How does the mother use emotional manipulation to change Krebs’s attitude?
She uses her own displays of distress, such as crying, to force Krebs to apologize and reconsider his behavior, successfully compelling him to act more affectionately toward the family.
- Citar trabajo
- Katharina Ochsenfahrt (Autor), 2008, Discussion essay on the short story “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/151090
