Hemingway shows post war syndrome quite effectively in “Soldier’s Home” where we see the mental anguish of Harold Krebs who “enlisted in the Marines in 1917” and who cannot pray following his experiences. I wanted to develop the idea through, from a first person perspective in order to involve the reader more directly with my hero’s experiences. Eg. “I try to sleep, but my thoughts take me home to my family and friends”
My primary target audience is comrades in arms but I feel that there is a useful secondary audience of anyone impressed by heroism/concerned about the impact of conflict. Shaped as a chronological interior monologue “Hell on Earth” is brutal and disturbing. The lexical set of “Trenches… Graves…rotting flesh” gives a sense of carnage and employs the readers senses. The “sound of laughter” is juxtaposed with “fitful slumber” in order to communicate my central character’s disturbed perspective. My story has the sense of foreboding and violence that is evident in “The Battler”. The depressing status quo is retained throughout my narrative but there is an ominous feeling of a grim conclusion in my closing words: “This is war. This is Hell, and it is Hell on Earth.” The tripling is powerful I think and engage sympathy for the poor twenty year old boy who is thrust into battle.
The setting lends itself to pathetic fallacy, “Silvery needles” “Damp Leaves”. These images are more figurative than he tends to leave issues understated. Like Hemingway, however I use some short sentences to create tension and suspense. Graphologically my story is conventional and I have resisted the temptation to end with a vignette.
There is an innocent yet rueful tone to my narrative which suits my protagonist, Private Ryan Martin. Like many of Hemingway’s heroes he is conscious of the need for companionship. Death is an ever-present figure and “He was my best friend” reveals the sad truth that another casualty has fallen. In the context of the war 16,000,000 died fighting for their country. Hemingway volunteered for the Italian Front at age 18. He was operated on for 200 shell fragments. He suffered terribly because he wanted to fight oppression and dictatorship.
I have tried to write from the perspective of someone who shared the pain of these violent times, brutal times. Therefore the grammar and syntax are often fragmented and blurred for effect. My hero concludes his reflection with his poignant final words but like those in Hemingway’s lost generation there is no satisfactory outcome, only torment.
To conclude, Hemingway’s stories have many themes that my story can be linked with, the themes of death, war, friendship and violence. My story has a different flavour to Hemingway’s, not better, just different.
Jake Sansom
Jake Sansom