The story has several elements that make it a story, that make it up as a whole. Setting is one of those elements. The book defines setting as “the context in which the action of the story takes place” (131). After reading “The Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemmingway, the setting played a very important role in this story. A different setting could change the outcome or feel of the story and here are some reasons why. First, if the setting were emphasized, what would this story be like? Would Kreb still be in Paris or Germany? Would he have returned home sooner if he had known it was a livelier city? Hemmingway wanted to set this story in a slow Oklahoma town that had no prospect of improving. Krebs had dropped out of a Methodist college and went straight to war (133). Krebs knew the lifestyle he left behind and what would be expected of him when he returned. His family expected a return to his pre-war state by a young man out of college. The Oklahoma setting probably no longer appealed to Krebs, and he wanted something better than to settle down and become a laborer. New York City or even Los Angeles could have created a different setting for Kreb's. Perhaps these cities could have offered a more exciting lifestyle for this young man. Hemmingway is perhaps trying to portray that Kreb's was held back by the consequences of the war and this Oklahoma town would have consequences for Kreb's again. Were marriage, children, and a stable job the consequences Kreb was talking about when he mentioned courting women in this city? Maybe, and he knew he would no longer live a lie. Secondly, what is the atmosphere that this story tries to portray with the setting? The setting is...... in the center of the card... as if providing details about the location” (Benedict). Carol also explains something interesting: “the type of vocabulary used by the characters can suggest where they live or where the scene takes place. Chicago teenagers are going to look different than teenagers in rural Kentucky” (Benedict). That's why it was important for Hemmingway to show the reader how Krebs felt. It set up the story and it was the reader's choice to imagine how the character felt when he returned. Works Cited Benedict, Carol. “Story Elements: Importance of Setting.” last modified April 13, 2010, http://thewritingplace.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/storyelements-of-the-setting/ Hemmingway, Ernest "Soldier's Home." , MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 133-38. Meyer, Michael "Setting." 2nd ed, 2011. 131.