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Passifistic Views of Two Authors

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Passifistic Views of Two Authors
Mike Dougherty

Phelps

English 12

12/4/12

Comparison essay

Pacifistic Views of Two Authors

“War is hell, but that’s not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and holiness and pity and despair and longing and love. War is nasty; war is fun. War is thrilling; war is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead.” (O’Brien 180) This is quoted by Tim O’Brien and it basically states the horrors of war and the emotional scar they leave on us. The two stories “How to Tell a True War Story” by O’Brien and “Soldiers Home” By Ernest Hemingway both share a similar point of view. Despite it being two entirely different wars, both authors make it obvious that their standpoint towards war, is pacifistic.

Hemingway showed signs of PTSD in “Soldier’s Home” when coming home from WWI. “In the evening he practiced on his clarinet, strolled down town, and went to bed.” (Hemingway 1) This unwillingness to break out of routine is a classic symptom of PTSD. He is unable to find happiness in simple things; even in things he found happiness in before the war. “Ernest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home" is a parallel to his own thoughts about WWI and his suffering of PTSD as a result. His entire worldview has been skewed by his traumatic experiences in the war, and the ability to genuinely love requires an emotional balance he lost during the war. This PTSD the author gets, comes to somewhat of resentment toward war.

O’Brien also showed signs of PTSD in “How to Tell A True War Story” Like from the (O’Brien 177) Even though Tim O'Brien might not sound too convincing about the credibility of his own memories and narrative, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder remains a certainty. The results of the trauma suffered in the war together with the emotional baggage: grief, terror, love, and longing, report of all of the veterans' post war turmoil.

Hemingway portrays much change from
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