In Another Country

The rehabilitation machines are symbols of society’s effort to atone for the injuries the soldiers received fighting in defense of their homeland. The photos of successful previous patients are theatrical props for encouraging the patients to continue the treatments energetically. As a naturally skeptical patient, the major with the withered hand knows that the rehabilitation machines could never repair his hand to the degree that it could again be the subtle instrument of his fencing. He lets the doctor and his comrades know he isn’t fooled by their encouraging claims.

Including experimental rehabilitation machines in the story shows Hemingway’s commitment to truth. Medical science began focusing a great deal of attention on rehabilitative and reconstructive medicine during and after World War I. So many people were injured in the fighting and bombing that innovation was accelerated to address quality of life issues. The narrator says that he and his comrades are the first to try the new machines.

Three of the wounded officers received the same medal symbolizing distinguished service. The medals were not very precise since they required discussion for the men to understand what each of them had done, and those explanations are an important part of the story.

Today, military organizations and governments still award medals, but the markings of each medal telegraph both the nature and quality of a recipient’s service. For example, the most distinguished awards of the United States, Britain, and France are the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and the Legion of Honor. Below these is a hierarchy of lesser awards, such as the American Silver Star and Bronze Star. Each award fits the level of valor and results achieved by the recipient. Each also uses a specific combination of colors and designs to be worn on a uniform so viewers can see exactly what the symbol represents.