Speaking of Courage

Speaking of Courage is one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. It is set up as the story of Norman Bowker. It takes place after the war, and Norman Bowker is now back at home. He is driving around a lake. The lake, he mentions, is the only one for miles, so despite it's ugliness, it is a source of pride for the townspeople. During the drive, Norman thinks about many things, but his thoughts mostly circle around what the town is like now vs. what it was like before the war vs. Norman's experience in the war.

Early in the chapter signs that Norman is having trouble adjusting to normal life begin to pop up. For example, while driving around the lake, Norman passes two boys. He honks at them, but they do not look up. It is odd that the boys do not look to see who honked because the town is described as being quiet, so the boys most likely heard the truck. The next sign occurs when he thinks about talking to his old girlfriend Sally Kramer (now Sally Gustafson). Norman thinks about how he would talk with her briefly, asking her how she’s been and nodding at her answers. He Thinks about telling he how he almost won the Silver Star, but decided not to because she wouldn't understand. Later, Norman stops near a fast food restaurant. A woman, whom Norman thinks is a waitress, is outside serving cars. He honks but she apparently doesn't hear him. Nobody understands him, and he is frustrated by it. He thinks about how he could've saved Kiowa. He thinks it's a good war story, but remarks that the town didn't want to hear about the war, it wouldn't listen. It didn't understand the war. As a result, Norman cannot adjust to daily life, and ultimately takes his own life.

Speaking of Courage is a powerful chapter that uses Norman Bowker as a device for explaining why it was so difficult for veterans to adjust.