I found this story to be very interesting. Initially, I felt sorry for the soldier because he didn’t receive the recognition to which he deserved. It was as though everyone in his town had already welcomed the majority of the soldier’s home and really didn’t care to pay him any time or attention that he needed. By the middle of the story I was starting to feel as though he had given-up and everyone around him allowed it. But by the end I was glad to see him go and watch his sister play indoor baseball. I think this showed that Krebs was willing to start a new life, but only a step at a time. This story made me remember my grandfather whom I was very close to. He served in the military for several years, as did my uncle. Thankfully neither of them had to go to war.
The literary element of the story is of course setting as the entire story bases around a soldier returning to his home in Kansas. But I also feel that Character study element was also used within the story to provide a picture of the soldier, his life, and demeanor. We could tell that he was a soldier coming home from Germany two years after most of the other soldiers. The photograph in paragraph two give you a good idea of his size and stature, and the way that he acted throughout the story tells that he had lost his ambition but still had a love for his family.
During the story it is described that Krebs father had a car to which he cherished and wouldn’t ever let him drive it, but at the end of the story Krebs mother told him that his father gave him permission to drive the car. I think that it was their way of finally respecting him as an adult. It seamed to me that Krebs had been home for sometime before his father decided to allow him to drive the car, why do you think it took his father so long?
I think that it took some convincing from his mother to finally get his father to allow Krebs to drive the car. Throughout the story it seemed like his mother was much closer to Krebs then his father was. His mother asked him about his experiences and attempted to give him the attention he wanted, unlike his dad who is basically unheard from throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree that his mother was closer than his dad was and probably had quite a bit to do with allowing him to drive the car. Also I think Hemingway made the car symbolic in the sense that being able to drive the car made him able to move on. I believe that the car in some ways represented the town as it was still the same as when he left. But when he was ready to move on with his life he was able to drive the car, something he was never able to do before.
ReplyDeleteAgain the mother I believe did convince the father. It almost makes you think the father wasn't proud for what his on went through. The father wasn't mentioned till the end of the story. He obviously wasn't part of Krebs life. So how does a parent just give their child a car to drive when they don't even know who they are really? It happens, trust me.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Kreb's mother was worried about his well being. She saw that he was a different person and wanted him to enjoy himself in any way. Although she said that his father offered for him to use the car, I'm sure it took some convincing.
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