George's Post

In this quotation from "The Veteran," war is both a source of honor and shame. The men gathered around Old Mr. Fleming seem to treat him as a hero. They ask him to tell stories from the war. The questioner assumes that OMF "never was frightened much." The syntax of his question-- negating the possibility of OMF's fear, rather than asking if he were ever afraid-- shows that these younger men see OMF as someone whose service in war automatically makes him heroic and honorable. It seems as if Mr. Fleming has never told his story before, and has allowed the men of the town to assume that he was brave and heroic in battle. From other parts of the story, we learn that OMF's war service also makes him a hero to his grandson. On the other hand, this quotation also shows that war can cause shame. When OMF "finally" answers the question, taking time to decide whether or not to tell the truth, he admits to having been afraid. He "grinned" as he admitted it, maybe hoping that if he made it seem like no big deal, maybe the men would see it that way, too. As the quotation continues, OMF admits the depth of his fear. While no battle is ever a good thing, he uses very cowardly language to describe his experience. Instead of talking about guns, bullets, and battle, he uses almost hyper-exaggerated language, "the sky was falling" and "the world was coming to an end," to show just how scared he was. He was so fearful, that it seems like he didn't even know where he was and what was happening. Certainly, he was incapacitated by his fear and was not heroic. Having been to war is a source of honor for OMF. Telling the truth about his experiences, seems to cause shame.