Exile and Escape in Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home”

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Man confronts diverse situations which force him to react according to the gravity of the circumstances. Invariably, the decisions taken are guided by his experience, his intuition, or by external agencies. As a solution to myriad problems, man chooses the path as ordained by his beliefs, which in turn is influenced by his psychological constitution. Hence, the decision he takes could explore his temperament and hence reading the themes of exile and escape in Hemingway’s Soldier’s Home is an interesting study of these sensitive concepts as caricatured in the protagonist, Harold Krebs stationed in Germany when he ‘enlisted in the marines and in 1917 and did not return to the U.S. until the second division returned from the Rhine in the summer of 1919’ (Hemingway 1).

Krebs feels alienated from the general crowd as he doesn’t receive adoration as a soldier on his return. In a desperate attempt to draw attention he prefers to lie. Unfortunately, his attempts are in vain as the people are wary of war tales. Krebs dislikes war on account of his taste for lying to prove himself to be a good soldier. In spite of continuous raillery, engaging in frivolous pastimes, he doesn’t seem to arrive at a plausible solution to his misery. The misery is accounted for his hesitancy to return back home, in spite of the war. This incident imposes ‘mental exile’ on Krebs who yearns to live in Germany. Yet another stumbling block is his impotency to come to terms with the present situation in which he finds himself. We find Krebs, unable to mingle with girls as he feels he would get into unnecessary complications. His temperament dissuades him from leading the normal life of an American. Most glaring is his hatred for German and French girls and his liking for American girls; he wouldn’t want to get seriously involved with any of them fearing the consequences. He would prefer to lead a life – uncomplicated.

The tendency in Krebs to escape from the realities of life is testimony to his growing discomfort at being in the U.S. with his parents. He loves life but loathes complications.

It’s almost a month since he has arrived home and he is yet to find an occupation for himself. He idles and doesn’t engage in anything meaningful, much to the chagrin of his father. To Krebs, his father has always being a figure worth escaping from. From the story, it is quite lucid that he has never had any affection for his father and that his father is a constant reminder of the grave realities of life. This is a reason why he can never come to terms with his father. Krebs wasn’t given the opportunity to ride his father’s car though he secretly nurtured a liking to drive the car. The gap between the father and the son is too wide. At the same time, one cannot prove that both of them have a dislike towards the other. Krebs remains withdrawn throughout the story.

Krebs is an introvert. This fact cannot be denied. He never finds himself at ease in the company of his friends. He is too preoccupied with himself and his interest. It appears that he has built a fortress around himself, subjugating his real desires and only being a mere shadow of him. His parents care for him and their concern for his welfare is seen explicitly. It is Krebs who fails to understand his parents. At times we feel Krebs is purposely alienating himself from his duties at home. It could be the projection of his dissatisfaction with life at home.

Krebs floats throughout. Intermittent thoughts about the glories and his best spent days at war are a fact that makes his belief that he dwells in the past. His mother awakens him to the present as she throws a direct hit on his whiling away of time instead of landing himself in a prosperous position. She recounts his friend’s success in life and pleads to him to change himself. Krebs, in a desperate attempt to save himself from dishonor, agrees to his mother but not wholeheartedly. Later, at his mother’s repeated request, he says he wouldn’t be able to pray or satisfy her. Thoroughly shaken, in a final bid to save her son, she asks him whether he loved her or not. When he replies in the negative, his mother is downcast and is up to tears. This incident was too shocking and he starts hating himself for having lied to his mother. He assures her that he loved her and he vows to go to Kansas to settle amicably.

Throughout the story, there is the undercurrent of the soul that is yearning for recognition at all fronts. The final escape of the soul from incognito is in its departure to Kansas. Though Krebs couldn’t prove himself to his people, he could now stand up to face the world. His make-believe world is shattered and he finds himself in a position to make amends for the lost glory.

The story reminds one of Laura Wingfield in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, who builds a castle of thoughts around her, of a better life with Jim only to be shattered in the end. In fact, her brother Tom, who is responsible for destroying his sister’s life, brings misery upon himself as he loses his job just days after this incident. Both Laura and Tom are weak and their escape from their present problems is quite different from Krebs’. Laura, suffering from pleurisies, is shy and withdrawn due to this handicapped. She is cocooned in her shell which doesn’t break in spite of several attempts. The Unicorn is the symbol of Laura, who stands out quite different from the others in her group. Tom on the other hand escapes from his house as he feels himself doing great harm to his sister and mother. He has natured false hopes in them by not making sufficient inquiries. In suppressing and denying his emotions in the warehouse, he finds his escape in the end. But it is quite sure that leaving home is not a true escape for Tom as he leads a life of a fugitive, trapped by his love for his mother and sister.

Laura’s escape is only momentary, from the frustrations and dysfunction in life. Thus the two incidents are a study of escape and self-imposed exile due to unprecedented circumstances.

Of particular interest is the life of Huck Finn in Mark Twain’s, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The life of Huck by the Mississippi River is a constant reminder of a person’s flight from life. It could be far-fetched to claim in such a manner as Huck is only a small boy. Yet we find the elements of a rebel in Huck who wants to escape from the drudgery of life, having chewed the nasty elements of life. A fugitive, running away from his father, a tyrant, Huck finds himself in the company of Tom. Tom becomes his best friend and in a bid to civilize him, makes various attempts. Widow Douglas takes pity on the boy and leaves him at ease. Yet, his past doesn’t leave him and he finds himself in the cruel hands of his father once again. Later he escapes from his father who disturbs Widow Douglas for money. He encounters Jim, a slave a black left to the mercy of nature. Jim yearns to be with his wife. He escapes from his landlord who does not treat him well. Unforeseen circumstances entrap Jim once again. Luckily both Tom and Huck prepare for Jim’s escape and they succeed.

In a bid to escape from being civilized, Huck says enough of ‘civilizing and plans to go to the West (Twain).

It would be wise to arrive at a general meaning of the terms escape and exile as we find that Krebs, Laura, Tom, Jim, and Huck are participants in the drama of life. While Laura and Tom are forced to escape from life due to inevitable circumstances, Krebs has imposed exile and escape on himself. Jim and Huck are again victims of societal injustice. It cannot be completely true to say that Laura and Tom are not responsible for their own fate. To a large extent, the themes of escape and exile show individual interests and constraints in manifesting a hopeless situation. Often, escape and exile leads to shocking revelations. In the case of Laura, it is her unfulfilled affair with Jim. With Tom, it is his inability to sacrifice his home and forget thoughts about his mother and sister. To Jim and Huck, civilization cannot free them from the freedom they choose. With Krebs, it is his inability to escape from the realities of life.

I too have discovered that it is impossible to escape from oneself. One has to lead a life according to one’s own dictates to the truest possible extent. Bid to escape and live in exile, imposed or self–willed, would ultimately bring the self back to the original place one belongs to. The human mind is subject to various influences and rendezvous with problems requires extensive analysis and greater patience. To be able to accept the given situation or to react suitably in dire circumstances requires proper guidance or experience. Quite often society plays a decisive role in enabling the self to realize its condition. Significantly, man is responsible for himself.

Works Cited

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Sparknotes. 2006. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!

Exile and Escape in Hemingway’s “Soldier’s Home”

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)