Krebs does not even attempt to find meaning. He knows there is nothing inside of him, and everything in life is too much "work." He is empty and dead inside - the war has killed him even though he survives.
In a way, Krebs mother is the antagonist in the story, because she is the one who pushes him to do things he does not want to do. She is the totally opposite of her son, a little ignorant, spiritual, and sure life makes sense. She represents everything the soldiers were fighting for, and yet, she represents everything Krebs did not want to return to. She makes him remember things he would like to forget, and she makes him "love" when he has nothing inside of him. She pushes him to lie, which he hates, and he hates her because of it. Hemingway uses the idea of truth in this story to indicate the things people are not supposed to say or think in public. Everyone tends to "edit" what they say and do to gain approval from those around them. Krebs no longer needs approval, he no longer needs his mother, and she antagonizes him to the point of his deciding to leave. She says she loves him, but she does not understand him. She pushes him to leave because she has no idea what is going on inside him, and never takes the time to learn about him. This clash of basic beliefs and values splits the family apart, and illustrates how ignorant people can be when...
People, like his mother, need to "hear" the word "love," but they really do not know what it means, and Hemingway shows this by using this clash.
Hemingway's writing is tight and to the point, making the story even more bleak and depressing. It is a depressing story, because it depicts, very clearly, a man whose life is wasted. Not because he dies, but because he lives. Krebs represents the waste of human life on the battlefield, because in effect, he left himself on the battlefield and returns a stranger. Hemingway uses the phrase, "In this way he lost everything" (Hemingway 146), and this is the ultimate theme of the story. Krebs lost everything in the war, and has nothing else to give to anyone, even himself.
In conclusion, "Soldiers Home" is a disturbing story that illustrates symbolism, misunderstanding, the horrors and aftermath of war, and spiritualism. Krebs is not a tragic character; it is difficult to feel anything for him, because he himself is so unfeeling. He is nothing inside; the war has killed him just as if he died on the battlefield. He is alive, but his live means nothing, and that is the saddest aspect of this short and meaningful story.
References
Hemingway, Ernest. "Soldier's Home." The Short Stories. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995. 145-153.
