Hardy's Writing in The Man He Killed

War or the "glory of war" has been romanticized throughout history. From tales of chivalrous men dying in battle, to stories of stronger "righteous" nations overthrowing rogue governments, war has deemed justifiable and honourable. While their exits instances where war has not been justified fully, the affect on the men and women fighting the war is apparent. Hardy's protagonist in "The Man He Killed," is deeply affected by the fact that he killed a complete stranger, one of which he had no qualms or grievances towards. The protagonist states, "I shot him dead because he was my foe" (Hardy 707) and continues with the significant statement of "No other reason why" (Hardy 707). This is important in understanding the underlining meaning of this literary work because it shows the affect of war on the soldiers in the battlefield.

Furthermore, in Hardy's poem, the men's decision to go to war (on opposite sides) was influenced by necessity. Hardy states," He thought he'd 'list, perhaps, off-hand like--just as I--was out of work--had sold his traps"( Hardy 707). The fact of the matter remains that both men went to war because of a necessity for money and work. Under any other circumstance they could have shared a few drinks and possibly a friendship, since both seemed to be previous trappers. The soldier, or the protagonist who shot his "enemy" is represented as being just as innocent as the soldier that got shot and killed. The protagonist states, "staring face to face, I shot at him as he at me, and killed him in his place"( Hardy 707). The shooting of the opposing soldier was justifiable because in occasions of war a "kill or be killed" mentality is in existance. Thomas Hardy is satirizing war because of the "pointlessness" it seems to represent. In his poem, it seemed pointless that two complete strangers must fight, when otherwise they could have been friends.

The attitude expressed in Thomas Hardy's "The Man He Killed" is that of satire, or dark humor as Hardy subtley expresses the "evil of war." There exits no real bitterness in the poem, but Hardy's writing of the poem indicates that he was indeed thoughtful towards war and its implications on the soldiers. Former liberal senator George W. Norris expresses his views on the question of "Who reaps the benefits of war?" In his speech oposing World War II, Senator Norris states:

Not to the soldier who for the munificent compensation of $16 per month shoulders his musket and goes into the trench, there to shed his blood and to die if necessary; not to the brokenhearted widow who waits for the return of the mangled body of her husband; not to the mother who weeps at the death of her brave boy; not to the little children who shiver with cold; not to the babe who suffers from hunger; nor to the millions of mothers and daughters who carry broken hearts to their graves. War brings no prosperity to ...