Throughout history, war has been a popular subject among writers seeking inspiration for new works. This includes everything from on-site reports to works of fiction based on real-life wars or battles. Looking at the timeline of the publication of different war novels, it is easy to see a trend in writing styles. Stories like Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" seem to exaggerate the details of war, attracting an audience who wants to see a fictionalized war façade. However, more modern war stories - primarily from the late 20th to the current 21st century - still retain darker moments and retain the vividness for which the genre is so known while being less grandiose in scale and detail . In addition to sharing general and personal accounts of war, the genre stays true to one of the main purposes of writing, namely the communication of opinions and emotions. War stories have always been a platform for writers to express their feelings about war, whether directly or through an elaborate story. The most popular era for these stories is the 20th century. During this time, American writers were actively involved in some of the greatest wars in our nation's and world's history. Some of the best-known works include "The War Prayer", "Soldier's Home" and "The Things They Carried". Whether or not these authors actually saw combat, their works still address internal conflicts caused by war, opposing viewpoints caused by war, and other psychological and emotional effects induced by war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayThe excerpt titled “On the River of Rain” from Tim O'Brien's work is a great example of an article that covers some of the more unexpected aspects. internal effects of the war. Overall, the story seems to begin as a seemingly more personal war tale, but deeper into the novel it tends to move away from this genre basis and forms its own valuable lessons. Nonetheless, the excerpt remains an excellent depiction of the emotional effects of war because in addition to developing personal conflicts, it does so in a way where the journey and outcome surprises the reader. The protagonist, Tim O'Brien, who is a semi-autobiographical character in this meta-fiction, struggles to decide whether to flee the draft for the Vietnam War or simply face it and enlist. When the chapter comes to a close, the average reader will be confused to read that O'Brien thought escaping to Canada was the option that required the most courage, whereas the option he chose, which was to enlist, seemed cowardly to him. In fact, he states the only reason he joined the war when he writes: "I would go to war – I would kill and maybe die – because I was embarrassed not to." " In the end, the mere thought of war was, in some way, enough to pressure O'Brien into giving up his life for the effort. In this way, war is able to create strong feelings of guilt in the mind that eventually suppress all other internal instincts, whether they lead to good or bad decisions. O'Brien also mentions that his decision to fight will have far-reaching repercussions. of his control. During the river scene, O'Brien writes, "My whole life seemed to flow into the river... everything I had ever been or wanted to be." » His allusion to his future dreams,now abandoned, means that the psychological effects of war can extend far beyond the present. Since O'Brien feels that all of his ambitions are now lost due to his decision to fight, this shows that the effects of wars are not localized to a specific point in a person's life, but rather that 'They have lasting consequences that can change the course. of his life permanently. By further analyzing “On the Rainy River,” we can see how war tends to create divisions caused by divergent points of view. There are usually strong supporters of a war as well as strong opponents of conflict. Many pro-war groups are mentioned as O'Brien begins to become frustrated with "their blind and thoughtless acquiescence in all of this." Finally, this mention of a division of the population returns towards the end of the piece in a more physical way. In a setting literally divided between the land - which is the river - O'Brien, the only opponent of the war mentioned so far, first observes the free coastline of Canada, then turns to his homeland to see all groups. of people who encouraged him to join the war effort. This scene has a very patriotic vibe due to the imagery used to depict the Minnesota coast. Additionally, the example as a whole is still able to showcase the passion that accompanies war and how it can influence uneducated minds to support the effort. In addition to the internal effects that war can have before the conflict begins, it can also have equally drastic post-combat results. In Ernest Hemingway's "Soldier's Home," the reader sees a much more psychological effect of war than the emotional breakdown seen in Tim O'Brien's work. In the story, Krebs, a soldier returning from World War I, struggles to reacclimate to his hometown due to his experiences in service. He tries to speak openly about his time in the war, but he finds that the only way to overcome his long-held interest in war stories is to lie to the people he speaks to. When Hemingway writes: "Kreb has acquired nausea towards an experience which is the result of a lie or an exaggeration", we can deduce that lying in every conversation begins to make him sick and that his opinions about life in general become more direct and direct as they arise. was shaped by war. Today, Krebs' general condition would be described as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and its side effects almost always include being antisocial and depressed. This concept of disconnection from society caused him to rethink his beliefs and even caused him to deny his own desire to chase a girl. In the story, it was even mentioned that "the world they were in was not the world he was in", proving that he was mentally detached from the rest of the community. Ultimately, Krebs' condition never improved throughout the story, proving that the lasting psychological damage the author was trying to highlight has the ability to make people feel emotionally detached from society, thereby causing physical changes in their lifestyle. changes, Hemingway's article also alludes to the changes in belief that events like war can cause. Common and fundamental values ​​(at the time of World War I), such as love and religion, were all changed in Krebs' head simply because of a single tour of duty. When he speaks with his mother, religion comes up. Once he declares.