I actually liked this story, it wasn't too bad. I liked that it was kind of like Stones, in the fact that it was about the affects of the war. The connection between the brothers was really nice, and I was quite sad when Henry came back from the war and he was completely changed. It talks about how he just sat in front of the tv and bit his lips until they bled, clearly showing how unstable he was. Just like in Stones, when the father would drink and yell, the loving relationship he had with his son completely gone. It really makes you think what an impact things like this have on people, because from everything I've read it seems that nobody comes back the same.
It made me think back to when I was in grade 12, in World History, and my teacher was talking about the first war. She told us about how when everyone had signed up to go, all the young boys thought it was going to be a great adventure. They thought they would go over, get to fight for their country, and come back a hero. Unfortunately, a lot didn't even get to come back. The sad thing was, it probably would have been better to be killed than to come back a changed person. Especially when the change wasn't for the better, and pain had to be subsided with beating your loved ones or drinking non-stop. The nightmares, the sudden fits of rage, the images of friends being killed always burned into your brain. The "adventure" that they boys thought they were embarking on would suddenly turn into a nighmare, and their minds definitely changed at that point. The killing, being surrounded by death, living in the filthy, rat infested trenches, and having to see your comrades suffering would definitely be something to change a person. The sad part is, even if your loved one comes home, their real personality never does. And then you're faced with a shell of the person you once knew. I can't even imagine what something like that would be like.
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