After I finished reading Soldier’s home by Ernest Hemingway, it made me reflect on how hard it is to go back to your old life after you changed, after passing from such a difficult situation and people still want you to be like the old person you were. In the text, I could clearly see that when he used to lie about not liking the war, just for people don’t think he is completely crazy and I completely understand why he was lying for the reason that no one wants to people see yourself as a crazy, different person just because you didn’t hate something that was bad for the rest.
While I was reading the text I found a quote in which it showed his perspective on how much things has changed since he left for the war, remembering that he returned one year after from most soldiers:
“There were so many good-looking young girls. Most of them had their hair cut short. When he went away only little girls wore their hair like that or girls that were fast. They all wore sweaters and shirt waists with round Dutch collars.It was a pattern”(l. 50-52)
After I finished reading this part, it made me think about how the population had changed and grown while he was in the war. People that were still studying when he left, at the time he came back were probably the same age as when he left, and had just recently left the school.
In the end, Krebs wants to leave the small city in Oklahoma where he lived, because he felt that he did not belong there anymore and just wanted to go to a new place where no one would know him and he could have a new start.
“He would go to Kansas city and get a job and she would feel all right about it”(l.205-206)
This quote made me think that sometimes people just need to go out of their normal zone and try new things in a new place, having a new start, making new friends and where he can be himself and not the old person he was before the war that people wanted him to be again.
I like how you talked about how hard it is for Krebs to come back and feel “normal”. That was a really good point. I also like the quotes you chose because they showed how much things changed while he was gone. And your idea about him wanting a fresh start in a new place was really clear.
Your response showed really clearly how difficult it is for Krebs to return to his old life. You explained well why he felt pressure to act like the person he was before the war, even though he had changed so much. I also thought your quote about the girls was a good choice, because it shows how the town grew and changed while he was away. Your point about him wanting a fresh start in Kansas City was strong too. It makes sense that he wanted a place where no one expected the “old” him. Congratulations !
You had a really interesting point about him noticing the hairstyles girls have now that he has returned from the war. I didn’t notice how he mentioned the changes he saw in society since he left for war, and it’s interesting how he mentioned how things used to be in relation to how people have grown up.
I think that you really communicated showing how Krebs struggles to fit back into his old life after the war. I like how you used quotes to show how things had changed and explained why he wanted a fresh start in Kansas City.