Comparison "Soldier's Home" And "Speaking Of Courage"
To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who …show more content…

Inside his car he surrounds himself with the sound of the big engine, the radio, and the air conditioning. Then inside of the Chevy was “secure.” This noisy atmosphere is so securing to Berlin because it echoes the atmosphere of the war that which he has become familiar with. The silence that his peacetime home is now reminiscent of only those eerie nights of silence during the war, leaving one to impatiently wait until the next sound of mortar fire.
Similar to feeling out of place, young returning soldiers lose feelings and sensations that they once felt prior to war. War numbs these boys to the point that they no longer enjoy the little things around them, resulting in their disconnect from society. After Krebs returns home from war, his days consist entirely of sleeping and walking around town, eventually getting bored with wherever he is. His appetite is all but diminished, and he speaks to those around him with brevity and dryness. He does not even bother chasing the good-looking young girls around him because he does “not feel the energy or courage.” Before the war Krebs was not allowed to drive the family car, but when he is offered the opportunity to take it out and have fun he is uninterested and rejects it. Krebs’ numbness damages those around him, especially his mother