Two Soldiers by William Faulkner
In Two Soldiers by William Faulkner we have the theme of isolation, innocence, determination, connection, loss, change and patriotism. Taken from his Selected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a young, unnamed eight year old boy. From the beginning of the story Faulkner appears to be exploring the theme of isolation. The narrator and his family live on a farm near Frenchman’s Bend, a small rural community twenty two miles from Jefferson. The only contact that the narrator appears to have with the outside world is through listening to Old Man Killegrew’s radio with his brother Pete. How small the world actually is to the narrator is noticeable when, on learning about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, the narrator tells Pete that he thinks Pearl Harbour is ‘‘across that Government reservoy up at Oxford.’ It is also interesting that the significance of the attack on Pearl Harbour is lost on the narrator. He is too young or innocent to appreciate the severity of what has happened, unlike Pete who is fully aware of the importance of the attack.
It is also at the beginning of the story that Faulkner explores the theme of determination. Pete is determined to go to Memphis and join the army. He tells the narrator that ‘I got to go. I jest ain’t going to put up with no folks treating the Unity States that way.’ This desire to join the army is also important for another reason as it suggests not only a determination within Pete but also highlights his patriotism. A patriotism that was matched by millions of Americans at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbour. The determination that Pete shows in joining the army is matched by the narrator’s determination to follow his brother to Memphis. Not only does he walk the twenty two miles to Jefferson but while at the bus depot he remains focused on his goal to reach Memphis. Telling both Mr Foote and the ticket clerk that he ‘got to get to Memphis.’
Faulkner also appears to be further exploring the theme of innocence when the narrator is at the recruiting station in Memphis. The narrator tells the lieutenant that ‘you got to have wood and water to cook with. I can chop it and tote it for you-all.’ The enthusiasm shown by the narrator to join the army is significant as it highlights the loss the narrator feels because Pete is joining the army. While Pete is displaying a level of patriotism, the narrator by hoping to join the army, is doing so because he finds it difficult to let go of Pete. Again this may highlight the strong connection or bond between the narrator and Pete. The reaction of the lieutenant after Pete tells the narrator to go home may also be significant. Though the narrator only tells the reader that the lieutenant coughed while he was looking out the window, it is possible that he may be touched by the narrator’s efforts to join his brother, realizing how strong the bond between the two brothers is.
Faulkner continues to explore the theme of innocence when the narrator meets Mrs McKellogg. At first the narrator thinks that Mrs McKellogg’s apartment block is her house and when he is in the elevator, going up to Mrs McKellogg’s apartment, he describes the elevator as ‘a little room’. These incidents are significant as they highlight how different Memphis is to the world that the narrator knows in Frenchman’s Bend. It may also be significant that the narrator is in a rush to get back to Frenchman’s Bend, not even having the time to eat dinner in Mrs McKellogg’s apartment. It is possible that because he has been told to go back home by Pete, this takes precedence over anything else that he is asked to do (like eat a dinner). By being loyal to Pete’s request, the narrator is further highlighting his strong bond or connection to his brother.
The ending of the story is also significant as it is at the end of the story that the reader gets a sense that things have changed for the narrator and that his world may not be as small as it once was. Not only has he lost Pete to the army but the narrator also appears to realise that there is a world outside of Frenchman’s Bend. Faulkner may be using the symbolism of the car travelling at speed back to Frenchman’s Bend to highlight the change the narrator feels and how quickly it has come for him. Through the bombing of Pearl Harbour and his journey to Memphis, the narrator begins to realise that things will never be the same again. The small world that he knows, in Frenchman’s Bend, has been affected by the changes that have happened in the larger world.
Two Soldiers and A Rose for Emily are my two favorite Faulkner short stories. Two Soldiers has the same quality of humanity that Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath possesses. There is balanced these wonderful moments of humor and also the intense moments which grasp at the heartstrings of readers. It is kind of like a Hallmark movie, but far superior. I’ve read both stories multiple times but this most recent reading called on me to look up the word “shykepoke egg.” That one interested me due to the name. Reading Two Soldiers again makes me think about my own childhood and the event of 9/11. I remember it happening; I was in Kindergarten. But after the war had begun, I remember saying to my grandmother that I did not understand why we had to go to Afghanistan and Iraq to fight. I didn’t connect the dots of 9/11 and the events which preceded it. Probably in a similar way that the narrator in Two Soldiers doesn’t understand the World War II. Any way, just some rambling thoughts. I enjoyed reading your review.
Thanks for the comment Blake. Faulkner is a clever writer and writes for both the past and the present. I also think he is suitable for everybody to read as he can evoke memories in everyone.
William Faulkner is a great writer who bridges the past with present in a very technical way. His great stories mostly reveal the history of the gothic Southern West.