War Luigi Pirandello

“War,’ written by Luigi Pirandello, is a short story that portrays the tragic impact of war on family, in World War I. The story is set on a train and involves different families who discover the reality of losing a loved one; by listening to the different travelers’ grief about the war. The discussion turns into a competition, where each man argues that his own suffering is worse than the others’. One man had his child in the war since the beginning and anothers child was injured three times since the start. Another man calculates to show he suffers more because of the many children he has fighting in the war. When the fat man enters the carriage he causes a commotion. He declares that the children are not the property of their parents but property of the Country; their love for the Country is what motivates them. The fat man’s response is denial and he rationalizes his son’s death. It seems as if he is proud of his son’s death. This response is unnatural and unhealthy because he is trying to console himself with something inconsolable. This approach doesn’t usually work in instances like this. It is only a matter of time, that these feelings and emotions that he suppressed will come back to disturb him. Listening to all this, the bulky woman is barely convinced that you can rationalize the death of your child. She considers it for a second; then, feels deep sorrow for her son fighting the war, no matter how noble the cause was. Her uneasiness and sorrow are a natural response, and a measure of healthiness that shows she is in-check with her emotions. The bulky woman’s response wins over the fat man’s response because she can cope better with her problem. It is evident that the fat man has not realized the impact of his loss, when the bulky woman poses the question, “Is your son really dead?” Only then, he instantly bursts out in tears, “He tried to answer but his words failed him…to the amazement of everyone he broke into harrowing heart