“Was the major brave? Why do you think so?”

The story under analysis is entitled “In Another Country” and written by E. Hemingway. I should that the story is not that simple and makes me think a lot to answer the question. It needs a deeper study, since the author wants to focus readers’ attention on various things that seem important for him. At first, it deals with war and everything it entails, including injuries, loses and death. The characters depicted in the story are in the hospital, because they need treatment due to various accidents. There are five of them and the major. Three men have medals for their activities in the front, but the younger man has no medal, since he was wounded an hour after he had gone into the front line for the first time. The narrator has one medal, as he is an American and has not done much to get it. But they are still friends, though some coldness is perceived in their relationships.

In the story the character of the major is of high importance. Once he was the great fencer, but now he had a little hand like a child’s. He does not believe that he can fence again and that his hand becomes larger, though he continues his treatment. However, I suppose that he is brave, even though he is afraid of having something that he can lose one day. He advises the narrator to find things in his life which he cannot lose. He says it because his wife is ill and he is afraid of losing her. That day he finds out that his young wife is dead, though her illness is not serious. The major cannot believe it and suffers greatly. However, he has enough bravery to come back later and continue his treatment as if nothing has happened.