Benny The War In Europea Short Story

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Preface The derangements and upheavals of war shatter spirits in ways that cannot be imagined. In the gloomy short story, “Benny, the War in Europe, and Myerson’s Daughter Bella’”, Mordecai Richler shows us how Benny, a quiet boy from a Jewish family in Montreal, falls victim in the hands of war. The focal point of this academic essay will be the psychological effects of war and how the community and society played a big role in either healing or worsening these unforgiving effects on its victims. Would his fate have been any different now than it was back then? Analysis Benny seems to fall victim to the harsh realities of the (back then) community of Montreal when he returns from World War 2. The Garber family quickly deemed fatigue and…show more content…
Garber said. “You don’t need the old job. You can be a help to your brother Abe in his garage.” “Yes”, Benny said. “Let him be, let him rest,” Mrs. Garber said, “What’ll happen if he doesn’t work for two weeks?” “Hey, when Artie Segal came back,” Abe said, “he said that in Italy there was nothing that guy couldn’t get for a couple of Sweet Caps. Was he shooting me the bull, or what?” (p.173-174, ll. 21-28, ll.1) None of the Garbers ask Benny about his experiences or time during the war. Although Mrs. Garber shows some interest in Benny’s health, she does so only for the sole purpose of not prolonging his time off of work. This piece of text above is vital for the reader to understand the Garber’s lack of knowledge of psychological and psychosomatic illnesses. Benny lives in a world of doubt and self-pity. He doesn’t have faith or courage in himself whatsoever. He believes that his fate is already sealed and that it was meant to be. His parents definitely contribute to the type of community that looks down upon the types of Benny; the misfits. Bella is the only one who seems to understand Benny and his emotions, and that’s because, in the eyes of the society, she’s a type of a misfit as well. There are no words like ‘misfit’ used in the quotes below to describe Bella or Benny, but the style used to talk about Benny and Bella tells us that they might be different in a negative way from the rest of the community and
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