Summary

The short story “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway begins with a presentation of main character Harold Krebs’ life before he enlisted in the Marines in 1917 and served in World War I. Harold returned to Oklahoma in 1919, a long time after the other soldiers had been celebrated and welcomed home.

At first Krebs does not want to speak of his experiences during the war, but even when he overcomes his hesitation, he finds that people do not want to hear true stories of the war, and so he is forced to lie about it. 

Krebs spends his summer doing the same things every day: he sleeps late, reads books, walks through town, practices on his clarinet, and plays pool. We learn that he still lives with his family - mother, father and two younger sisters. Krebs also enjoys looking at the girls i...