Question

Which two sentences in this excerpt from John Steinbeck's "Symptoms" address the theme of soldiers being reluctant to talk about their experiences in war?
1)) If they had been reticent men it would have been different, but some of them were talkers and some were even boasters. 2)) They would discuss their experiences right up to the time of battle and then suddenly they wouldn't talk anymore. This was considered heroic in them. 3)) It was thought that they had seen or done was so horrible that they didn't want to bring it back to haunt them or their listeners. But many of these men had no such consideration in any other field. 4)) Only recently have I found what seems to be a reasonable explanation, and the answer is simple. They did not and do not remember--and the worse the battle was, the less they remember.
Is it 1,2,3, or 4 HElp

Answer 1

For Plato users. The correct answers to your question are:

1. They would discuss their experiences right up to the time of battle and then suddenly they wouldn't talk anymore.

2. It was thought that they had seen or done was so horrible that they didn't want to bring it back to haunt them or their listeners.

Answer 2

Steinbeck's "Symptoms" focuses on war and its aftermath in soldiers' lives in a psychological way. The writer believes that a soldier becomes reserved and does not want to talk about or remember the circumstances of wars because these memories bring them turmoil.

The provided excerpt is sectioned in four parts. Although each part carries the essence of the conjoined sentence, two of the points pay more emphasis on the reluctant behavior of the soldiers. And they are:

1. “If they had been reticent men it would have been different, but some of them were talkers and some were even boasters.”

The first point explicitly expresses that the army-men hesitate while talking about their past incidents in the middle of wars. Word like “reticent” proves that that soldiers are uncomfortable psychologically.

2. “They would discuss their experiences right up to the time of battle and then suddenly they wouldn't talk anymore. This was considered heroic in them.”

This statement again provides detail about how they would stop in between their conversations, whenever any thought or memory crosses their mind in regards to the destruction of wars they have witnessed. Implicit expression is utilized here by the phrase- “suddenly they wouldn't talk anymore.”

Moreover, the author surfaces the psychology that makes the fighters act in such a way.