The Importance of Honoring the Truth of Soldiers

This chapter explores the contrasting portrayals of soldiers in literature and emphasizes the need to accurately capture the true essence of the ordinary soldier. It emphasizes that soldiers are intensely human, with faults and virtues, and challenges the romanticized portrayals of soldiers as saints or villains. The chapter also touches on the idea that war, despite its brutalities, can inspire new energies and forms of thought.