“When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you… Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion, and you know it can happen to you.”
- July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961
- American
- Novelist, poet, journalist
- Wrote masterpieces such as “The Old Man and the Sea,” “A Farewell to Arms,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954
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Quote
“When you go to war as a boy, you have a great illusion of immortality. Other people get killed, not you… Then, when you are badly wounded the first time, you lose that illusion, and you know it can happen to you.”
Explanation
In this quote, Hemingway reflects on the shock and disillusionment of a young soldier’s first exposure to the brutal realities of war. The illusion of immortality is a psychological defense, often experienced by young soldiers, where they feel invincible, believing that death and injury are something that happens to others, not to them. This feeling is often a form of youthful arrogance or naivety, where the harshness of war has not yet eroded the belief in one’s own safety. However, this illusion is shattered when the soldier is wounded for the first time, a moment that forces the individual to confront the fragility of life and the reality of mortality. The transition from believing in one’s invincibility to realizing that danger is real is a profound and often painful loss of innocence.
Hemingway’s own experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I deeply influenced his views on war, and this theme of disillusionment pervades much of his work, including A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. His characters, like Frederic Henry in A Farewell to Arms, grapple with the brutal realities of war and the emotional toll it takes on their view of life. War, for Hemingway, is not just a physical conflict but also a spiritual and emotional battle that forces soldiers to face their own mortality. The illusion of immortality that Hemingway describes is the false sense of safety that comes with inexperience, which is often shattered when soldiers witness or experience violence firsthand.
In the modern context, this quote can resonate with the experiences of young people entering any situation where they underestimate danger or overestimate their own invincibility—whether it’s in physical danger, risk-taking behavior, or even emotional experiences like falling in love or facing personal crises. The shift from the belief that “bad things happen to others” to the realization that one’s own vulnerability is real is a part of growing up and learning to navigate life’s uncertainties. Hemingway’s quote serves as a powerful reminder of how exposure to harsh truths can force personal growth, but also take away the comforting illusions that once protected us.
