The Soldier’s Struggle with PTSD

By: Luke Matthews & Nicholas Graves

Tinderbox

In The Tinderbox, by Hans Christian Andersen, a soldier is walking back from war when he is confronted by a witch. The witch offers him extreme wealth if he tames 3 dogs with enormous eyes and brings her back a tinderbox. The soldier accomplishes the task but when the witch refuses to explain the purpose of the tinderbox the soldier kills her and takes the tinderbox for himself. The soldier then goes into town flaunting his money and soon learns he is in love with the princess. The tinderbox lets the soldier control the 3 dogs and he uses them to kidnap the princess. The King and Queen learn of the soldier’s doing and sentence him to be hung. The soldier then unleashes the dogs upon the kingdom killing the King and Queen and marrying the Princess. The soldier portrays violent tendencies throughout the fairy-tale and I can’t help but wonder if his violent nature can be attributed to his time at war.

Eyes of Dogs

The soldier in Eyes of Dogs is a more developed and emotionally embedded character than the soldier in The Tinderbox. In the version Eyes of Dogs the story-line is very similar to that of the Tinderbox but the soldier is revealed to have much more emotional and psychological depth. As readers we are able to connect more with the soldier in Eyes of Dogs than the soldier in the Tinderbox because we are given background and specific memories of the soldiers past and time at war. We see glimpses into the pain and violence the soldier experienced during the war so we better understand the darkness that influences his decisions. The soldier from Eyes of Dogs is experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as we see his memories from war haunt is daily life.

Soldier Suffering from PTSD

Many soldiers who experience combat in war are affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They are haunted by the gruesome memories they made while protecting their country. They turn to drugs most commonly alcohol to suppress their memories of combat and their emotions. The soldier from Eyes of Dogs embodies a soldier who is suffering from PTSD. The soldier has a flashback of cutting another man’s stomach open and uses alcohol, sex, and money to forget and feel better about himself. PTSD in soldiers who have experienced combat is a real issue and the soldier from Eyes of Dogs is an illustration of that.