Topic > My understanding of the novel in another country

Before the time war, many cannot imagine what could be inflicted on themselves. In the case of the young people in Ernest Hemingway's In Another Country, they face the loss of body parts or the infliction of devastating injuries. In the narrator's case, he has to deal with the loss of his leg and has to deal with the therapeutic machinery. For example, the narrator writes, “My knee didn't bend and my leg fell straight… the machine had to bend the knee and make it move like riding a tricycle.” Our narrator could play football before the war, but now he simply can't. The narrator points to other people who have been changed by the war. He reports a former fencer, the greatest Italian fencer, who had injured his dominant hand. He also points to those he considers "hunter hawks", people whose pride depends on the medals they earn. Furthermore, these young people's lives have been changed by the war because the citizens now hate them. It is ironic because the soldiers fought for their country, but instead receive hatred and ill will from their own neighbors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Among many encounters with life and death, the narrator describes himself and his fellow soldiers as aloof. By saying detached, the narrator could mean that they have lost touch with society from being on the front lines for a long time. Being detached might also reflect on the numerous close call reports soldiers have had. The numerous encounters may have begun to inflict some sort of mental effect on all the soldiers. The narrator might also physically imply the word detached. He mentions how the citizens hate them because they were officers. Because of this hostility, they feel detached from society's norms. Medals indicate service in the war. Medals are often viewed as objects to be proud of. The narrator does not appear to flaunt his medals fervently. He is aware that he has them, but does not display them for all to see. This may be because he simply received a medal for being “American.” The narrator considers himself different from what he calls “hunting hawks,” although he also had medals. He considers them soldiers who boast of medals, while he himself does not think much of them. This is why he explains his behavior as he walks away from them. Our narrator seems to follow the Italian major, who was the greatest Italian fencer. The narrator is attracted to the major who does not believe in courage. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In the story, In Another Country, different types of loss are described. The story catalogs the loss of body parts, the past, respect and loved ones. In the case of the narrator, the black silk bandaged boy, and the major, all have suffered a loss of body parts. They lost a leg, a face and a hand respectively, each of which is important in its own right. Furthermore, the soldiers lost the respect they had from the people. The narrator states, “People hated us because we were officers.” This depends on how isolated and despised the officers were by the people. The soldiers will never be able to return to the past because many of them have been deeply affected by the current war. Towards the end of the story, the loss of the major is surprising. The major had apparently waited until the end of the war to marry his beloved, only to discover that she had died days earlier.