Introduction

Ernest Hemingway's short story "In Another Country" portrays the psychological wounds left by war. Published in 1926, just eight years after the armistice that ended World War I, the story captures the disillusionment and emotional detachment felt by many soldiers and veterans. 

Hemingway, an American who served as an ambulance driver in Italy during the war, draws on his own experiences to create a brief but realistic and unflinching portrait of a group of young soldiers recovering from physical injuries in a Milan hospital. Although the combat has ended for them, the shadow of war hangs heavy, shaping the characters' relationships and internal struggles.

Plot Summary

The story opens in a cold, gloomy Milan during World War I. Though the fighting is over for these soldiers, "the war was always there." Every afternoon, the narrator, a wounded American, meets with five wounded Italian soldiers at a beautiful old hospital for physical therapy.

The doctor is optimistic about their progress. His new physical therapy machines appear to offer great promise. However, the Major's cynicism points to the soldiers' deeper anxieties. Despite the doctor's assurances, the major appears to doubt that his injured hand will ever recover.

Even with their different backgrounds – athlete, lawyer, painter, soldier – the wounded men find a bond in their shared experience. Even so, a sense of detachment hangs over them all. They connect over a common understanding of the war's impact, a secret they cannot share with the civilians who seem oblivious. Their solace comes in the form of Cafe Cova – a warm, friendly place with girls and news. Here, they find a temporary escape from the anxieties that haunt them.

The narrator feels like an outsider despite, or perhaps even because of, his medals. They represent American involvement in the war, not battlefield valor. In his own eyes, his injuries do not elevate him to the same level as his comrades.

I had been wounded, it was true; but we all knew that being wounded, after all, was really an accident.

This perspective creates a gap between him and three of the other soldiers who earned their medals through heroic actions. He does find a connection with one young soldier who was injured on his first day at the front – neither truly confronted the war's horrors. The American doubts that he would have been capable of battlefield heroism.

I knew that I would never have done such things, and I was very much afraid to die.

An unlikely friendship also develops with the Major. For all his cynicism about his recovery and the war itself, the Major becomes the narrator's Italian grammar teacher. He thinks of helping the American improve his Italian as a positive outlet in this dark time. Furthermore, the Major appears dismissive of the idea of bravery which may further endear him to the American. 

The tutoring goes well until the Major learns of his wife's sudden death. His anger and despair erupt, spilling into a pessimistic view of love and loss during wartime. Despite the outburst, the Major apologizes and openly grieves, indicating a sense of vulnerability he has been hiding.

The story ends with a sense of lingering grief. The doctor explains the Major's wife's unexpected death from pneumonia. When the Major returns to the hospital after three days away, he wears a black mourning band.

Interestingly, the doctor decorated the room with new additions, such as framed photographs showcasing successful recoveries using the physical therapy machines. These include three before-and-after photos of hands similar to the Major's, apparently fully restored. The doctor seems to want to encourage the wounded and grieving Major with these photographs. However, the Major remains distant, his gaze fixed out the window, seemingly unaffected by the hopeful imagery.