Great story by Hemingway. I felt compassion for Krebs. He came back from war, wanted to talk but no one would really listened to him. Getting his thoughts off of his chest would probably make talking to girls easier for him.
I thought it was a little odd how persistent Harold's 'best sister' was at getting his confirmation that he loved her and asking "Couldn't you be my beau, Hare, if I was old enough and if you wanted to?" Hemingway noted that eventually, a girl will come to Harold, he had learned that in the Army. At the end, Krebs decided to watch her play indoors. Maybe from a little manipulation by his sister?
Krebs seems to get manipulated easily by his mother as well. Feeling sorry for her after their conversation at the dining table and lying to make her feel better are some examples. I have a great relationship with my mother, so I cannot relate to Krebs here.
After learning about Hemingway's past with the war, I think Hemingway was partially living Harold's situation by having no one listen to him about the war. My parents have been divorced for a long time, so I have lived in two separate worlds with two separate groups of friends and experiences. One world was filled with karate and one with school. I had karate friends, and school friends. I was a lot more comfortable with my karate friends because we all had something in common from the start. I can understand that Krebs is having a hard time fitting back in around his hometown, but he will eventually come around.
What do you think happened to Krebs afterward?
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I think after the events of the story Krebs went on with his life. I think he moved away, found a girl, got a job, and started a family. But in spite of finding things that would make the majority of people happy, I would guess that he was never really happy. He was really desperate to talk to people about what he went through, and if he never found anyone that he could talk or relate to, I think he would live a very lonely life.
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