Soldier's Home

The narrator says that Harold “looked forward with a good feeling to reading all the really good histories when they would come out with good detailed maps” (113). The passage conveys how lost Harold is, and the maps symbolize Harold’s aimlessness and alienation. The maps speak to the theme of the Psychological Effects of War.

Rather than get a job and build a future for himself, Harold looks forward to reading more history books with maps in them, which appears to be a metaphor for Harold’s need for guidance and direction. By reading books about the past, over and over, and looking forward to reading books with maps in them, Hemingway portrays a man who can’t move forward because he is lost in his past.

The Krebs family car represents freedom, mobility, and direction—things that Harold lacks. Before the war, Harold was not allowed to drive the car. Harold’s father, a real estate agent, uses it to drive clients around and show them properties. After he returns home from the war, Harold’s mother tells him that his father has given his permission to take the car out on evenings. Hemingway writes, “Your father does not want to hamper your freedom.