Dehumanization In Gregory

The story "Gregory" demonstrates that war has dehumanizing effects on people. Many soldiers change their way of thinking in the war. For example, the narrator states, "it was not the first time I had to execute a hostage in this war... The first time, I remember, I vomited... The fifth time I joked about it." (Ioannides 153). This shows how the war has taken a good human characteristic from him because he no longer feels sympathy for his victims. The dehumanizing effects of war are also shown by the devaluing of others. For instance, the narrator states, "[headquarters] didn't care to know what happened to that Gregory, alive or dead." (Ioannides 157). This realization demonstrates the dehumanization in war by showing how headquarters didn't