A Polite Town

The chapter, Speaking of Courage, made me realize what it was like for soldiers after the war. Norman Bowker's story tugged on my heartstrings. The line "the was was over and there was no place to go" greatly saddened me. As the chapter continued, I began to understand that things were only getting harder for Norman. When he returned from the war, he learned that most of his friends had moved away for jobs. He learned that the "high school girls were mostly gone or married." He couldn't tell anyone how he almost got the Silver Star, because in the first place he never got it, and secondly, the story was inappropriate. His life would forever be different because of the draft and a war. He was out of place in a "polite town." This small chapter made me wonder about soldiers and their life when they return. Is it as hard on most soldiers as it was on Norman, or do most soldiers adapt better? I was saddened even more by the revelation that soldiers just like Norman had had their entire lives ahead of them, as recent high school grads, but unfortunately, they were sent to war, ruining any chance of normalcy in their future. This chapter furthered my realization that war can easily ruin an individual.