Assignment

Assignment



Assignment

Soldier's Home” and “How to Tell a True War Story

In comparing these two short stories the similarities were evident and stuck out like a sore thumb. The first similarity that I had encountered was that both stories gave the impression that previous to war the main characters had an enormous sense of patriotism. This is why they went to join the military. They wanted to fight for their country, and if they were willing to die for it Krebs, the main character in "Soldiers Home", had a nationalistic view before the World War I, and he believed that Americans should fight to save the freedoms of the United States. In "How to Tell a True War Story" the main character is portrayed as a person who had a lot of loyalty to America prior the Vietnam War because he has the emotion of a true patriot. Another similarity between these two stories is that the main characters were changed by the sight and horrific events of war(dawnmarie75.wordpress.com). For example, Krebs could not even pray with his mother at the end of the story because he has lost faith in God. These events, such as, watching someone get their head blown off, or catching sight of one of your friends lungs turn into liquid because of mustard gas, changed their perception of war. This would definitely change my view of patriotism for one's country.

Also, the narrator in "How to Tell a True War Story" points out that no one wants to listen to the real truth. This is emphasized because no one wants to hear the truth about war. The characters in both stories feel that war is an awful thing, and no one will understand that unless it is seen first hand. In addition, another similarity would be that each of the characters, Krebs and the narrator, feel that they have to lie because no one wants to hear the truth. For example, when Krebs wanted to tell a story at the neighborhood bar, no one wants to hear the truth. They want to hear the glorified lies that the other veterans tell. The narrator says, " His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities" this leaves Krebs isolated from releasing his emotions and feelings. Also, in "How to Tell a True War Story" the narrator tells the same story about a soldier, Curt Lemon, who is blown up by a booby trapped mine three times to illustrate that no one wants to hear the truth because no one will listen to the real story. So in order for the soldiers to seem patriotic in their stories they have to make up fallacies about their stories. These similarities are evident throughout the short stories.

The first contrasting material I read upon is the difference in patriotism after the war between Krebs, in "Soldiers Home", and the main character in, "How to Tell a True War Story". The sense of patriotism can still be found in Krebs, ...