Soldier’s Home

by

Ernest Hemingway

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Krebs’s Father Character Analysis

Though Krebs’s father never appears in the story, he is mentioned several times. When Krebs’s mother implores Krebs to get a job, for instance, she is relaying something that his father had asked her to say to him. She then tells her son to stop by his father’s office, which he does not do. His resistance implies a resentment of and aversion to the traditionally male working sphere that his father represents. Where Krebs seems to fail at what is expected of men—he can neither talk to girls nor get a job—His father, who seems quite conventionally and stereotypically male in the story, represents the opposite. His working at his office poses an especially stark juxtaposition to Krebs’ being at home; his father’s absence calls attention to the fact that, based on traditional gender roles, the home is not where a man should be.

Krebs’s Father Quotes in Soldier’s Home

The Soldier’s Home quotes below are all either spoken by Krebs’s Father or refer to Krebs’s Father. 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:
War and Trauma Theme Icon
).
Soldier’s Home Quotes

“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: Harold Krebs, Krebs’s Father
Related Symbols: The Car, The Girls
Page Number: 115
Explanation and Analysis:

“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: Harold Krebs, Helen, Krebs’s Mother, Krebs’s Father
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis:
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Soldier’s Home PDF

Krebs’s Father Quotes in Soldier’s Home

The Soldier’s Home quotes below are all either spoken by Krebs’s Father or refer to Krebs’s Father. 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:
War and Trauma Theme Icon
).
Soldier’s Home Quotes

“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: Harold Krebs, Krebs’s Father
Related Symbols: The Car, The Girls
Page Number: 115
Explanation and Analysis:

“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: Harold Krebs, Helen, Krebs’s Mother, Krebs’s Father
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis: