Harold Krebs Character Analysis in Soldier’s Home

The story’s protagonist, Krebs is a young soldier struggling to readjust to life at home following World War I. At first, Krebs feels as though he cannot discuss his experience in the war, and then, when he finally does want to talk about it, he finds that no one wants to listen to him. In an attempt to be heard, he resorts to lying about his experiences, but this just makes him feel increasingly empty, apathetic, and numb, unable to relate to others in his town or his family. Krebs suffers a distinct lack of ambition and motivation, instead busying himself with watching the girls in his town walk by his house, sleeping, reading, practicing the clarinet, and eating. Through Krebs, Hemingway paints of picture of the way many soldiers struggle to adjust to home after experiencing war. Ironically, what Krebs struggles most with in the story is clarifying his individual experiences. The idea that he represents not just himself, but many, then, ironically robs him of his individuality further still.

Harold Krebs Quotes in Soldier’s Home

The Soldier’s Home quotes below are all either spoken by Harold Krebs or refer to Harold Krebs. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“At first Krebs, who had been at Belleau Wood, Soissons, the Champagne, St. Mihiel and in the Argonne did not want to talk about the war at all. Later he felt the need to talk but no one wanted to hear about it. His town had heard too many atrocity stories to be thrilled by actualities.”

Related Characters: Harold Krebs

Page Number and Citation: 111

Explanation and Analysis:

Towards the beginning of the story Hemingway lists specific battles in which Krebs fought, but does not give any more detail about the battles besides their names. Though readers must lean on their background knowledge to glean the specifics, these battles were indeed violent, gruesome episodes of war. They thus reveal that Krebs did undergo significant trauma while he fought, since he was present at many major battlegrounds. The idea that Krebs does not want to talk at first about the war makes sense, as he does not want to relive such painful experiences. However, the pain only gets exacerbated Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantiu

“All of the times that had been able to make him feel cool and clear inside himself when he thought of them; the times so long back when he had done the one thing, the only thing for a man to do, easily and naturally, when he might have done something else, now lost their cool, valuable quality and then were lost themselves.”

Related Characters: Harold Krebs

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 111

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote is the only one in the whole story that explains a moment of authentic, genuine feeling in Krebs during the war. It occurs in the story right after Krebs starts lying about his experience in the war in order to attract the attention of his town. The consequence of lying is that it destroys his memory of these moments from the war—in which Krebs feels an instinctual and natural impulse to fight, an impulse connected to his manhood. This quote also skates the specificity of the thing it is to which Krebs is referring. What is “the only Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint ap

“Krebs acquired the nausea in regard to experience that is the result of untruth or exaggeration…”

Related Characters: Harold Krebs

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 112

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote occurs right after Krebs lies twice about his experience in the war. The result of these lies, even though they are unimportant lies in it of themselves, is nausea. The nausea is an important consequence of lying, a consequence that leads to Krebs not wanting to talk at all. To keep from feeling nauseous, Krebs would rather not say anything, as he feels he cannot tell the truth of his experience because no one wants to hear him—but, even his lies fail in attracting an audience, and just make him feel sick instead. This nausea is important, as Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantiu

“He did not want to do any courting. He did not want to tell any more lies. It wasn’t worth it. He did not want any consequences. He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live without consequences.”

Related Characters: Harold Krebs

Related Symbols: The Girls, The Porch

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote happens as Krebs is watching the town girls from his front porch. Krebs stays on his porch to observe them, as he does not want to get involved with talking to them. For Krebs, the girls are connected to the consequences he has felt before from lying. He seems to think that talking to the girls will make him lie more, and he wants to avoid this at all costs, to avoid the consequence of nausea that arises from being untruthful. The fact that “consequences” are repeated three times here also shows Krebs’ fear of being an active Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Q

“He sat on the porch reading a book about the war…He wished there were more maps. He looked forward with a good feeling to reading all the really good histories when they would come out with good detail maps. Now he was really learning about the war. He had been a good soldier. That made a difference.”

Related Characters: Harold Krebs

Related Symbols: The Porch

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

As Krebs spends his days sitting on the porch, he also reads a book about the war. An important feature of the book are the maps. One of the only “good feeling[s]” that Krebs feels in this entire story comes from looking at the maps. The maps are able to situate Krebs in the war, something that is extra important to Krebs as he is already feeling displaced and disoriented in his life upon returning home. By having maps give him a sense of direction and place, a certain order seems to be restored upon him and he is able Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem

“Aw, Hare, you don’t love me. If you loved me, you’d want to come over and watch me play indoor.”

Related Characters: Harold Krebs, Helen

Page Number and Citation: 115

Explanation and Analysis:

Helen says this to her brother Krebs in the final scene when Krebs comes down to breakfast. She first teases him about being her “beau,” then asks if he loves her. He says “sure,” but then when he only says “maybe,” to whether he’ll come watch her play, Helen responds with this quote. Much about this quote is naïve, but in a playful and tender way. Helen calls her brother by his nickname, “Hare” which is short for Harold, and expresses a juvenile idea of love—that love is equal to the effort of coming over and watching her play indoor. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit

“Your father does not want to hamper your freedom. He thinks you should be allowed to drive the car. If you want to take some of the nice girls out riding with you, we are only too pleased.”

Related Characters: Krebs’s Father, Harold Krebs

Related Symbols: The Car, The Girls

Page Number and Citation: 115

Explanation and Analysis:

When Krebs’ mother speaks to Krebs privately in the kitchen, in the final scene after breakfast, she relays to him the wishes of her and his father’s that he start behaving in a way that has some direction and ambition. What she communicates as Krebs’ father’s suggestion is that Krebs start taking out some of the town girls in their family car—this would be the first step towards becoming an active participant again in the typical life, the life that society expects of a young man. Importantly, Krebs’ father himself does not enter the story, but is only given a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error

“His mother looked at him across the table. Her eyes were shiny. She started crying.”

Related Characters: Krebs’s Mother, Harold Krebs

Page Number and Citation: 116

Explanation and Analysis:

Krebs’ mother starts crying after Krebs tells her that he does not love her. He only says this, however, in response to her asking him—so the act itself of telling her he does not love her is, in fact, a passive act—a response to a question as opposed to a statement of his own. However, his stark and truthful response, that he does not love her, that he does not love anyone, causes her to cry. The crying is dramatic in the context of the story, as Krebs has been so emotionless, numb, apathetic, stoic. The mother here poses a Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores

“So his mother prayed for him and then they stood up and Krebs kissed his mother and went out of the house. He had tried so to keep his life from being complicated. Still, none of it had touched him…He wanted his life to go smoothly. It had just gotten going that way. Well, that was over now, anyway. He would go to the schoolyard and watch Helen play indoor baseball.”

Related Characters: Krebs’s Mother, Harold Krebs, Helen, Krebs’s Father

Related Literary Devices:

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

This quote makes up the final passage of the story. The fact that the entire emotional scene with his mother hadn’t touched him highlights the depth of Krebs’ apathy and emptiness. He still wants to live without consequence. He wants things to be as uncomplicated as possible. However, he makes some resolutions going forward, the final one being the most important—that he will “go to the schoolyard and watch Helen play indoor baseball.” This relates to Helen’s quote before, that Krebs can’t really love her if he doesn’t go watch her play. By finishing the story with this idea that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus ea

Harold Krebs Character Timeline in Soldier’s Home

The timeline below shows where the character Harold Krebs appears in Soldier’s Home. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Krebs enlists in World War I after attending a Methodist college in Kansas. There are two... (full context)

When Krebs comes home, he does not receive the same elaborate, celebratory welcome as the other soldiers.... (full context)

In order to get people to listen to him talk about the war, Krebs lies twice about his experiences. Because Krebs lies, he develops a “distaste for everything that... (full context)

The lies Krebs tells are “quite unimportant,” and therefore unimpressive. The effect of the lying makes Krebs feel... (full context)

Since his return, Krebs spends his time sleeping late, going to the library, eating, reading, and playing in the... (full context)

Krebs’s father, who works in real estate, has a motor car that Krebs was not allowed... (full context)

The only thing that has changed in town is that the girls have grown up. Krebs lacks the energy to “break into” their world, but appreciates the way they look—their short... (full context)

As Krebs watches the girls, he thinks about the soldiers he knew in the war who talked... (full context)

Though Krebs would like a girl, he thinks that the prospect of having a relationship with one... (full context)

As Krebs continues to sit on the porch, he thinks how he would like the girls who... (full context)

Still sitting on the porch, Krebs reads a book about the war, learning about the battles he was in. He likes... (full context)

One morning at home, Krebs’s mother comes into his bedroom and tells him that she talked with his father. They’ve... (full context)

Krebs goes downstairs for breakfast and his sister Helen teases him about sleeping a lot. She... (full context)

Helen tells Krebs that she is playing indoor baseball that afternoon, and she brags about being a better... (full context)

Krebs’s mother ushers Helen out of the kitchen, as she wants to speak with Krebs alone.... (full context)

Krebs’s mother continues, explaining that she knows how war must affect young men, as her father... (full context)

Krebs’s mother asks Krebs if he loves her. He responds no, and she starts crying, putting... (full context)

Krebs then kisses his mother and leaves the house, reflecting that his mother made him lie... (full context)

Harold Krebs Character Analysis

Harold Krebs Quotes in Soldier’s Home

Soldier’s Home Quotes

Harold Krebs Character Timeline in Soldier’s Home