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Lea Pavlinek

Jasna Poljak Rehlicki, PhD

American War Literature

30 October 2023

The reality and dehumanization of war in William March’s Company K

War, with its stories of valor and glory, has always fascinated people. The romanticized

image of warfare, often perpetuated by propaganda, can be an alluring narrative that captivates

the imagination, yet, the true nature of war, with its brutal and dehumanizing effects on those

who endure it, often stands in stark contrast to these idealized narratives. William March's

Company K looks closely at this contrast, discussing the way war harms people physically and

mentally, the dehumanization of soldiers, and the contradiction with the romantic view of war

often shown in media. This essay aims to explore how William March's Company K serves as a

genuine portrayal of the psychological toll that war has on people, highlighting the dehumanizing

effects of combat on soldiers, and ultimately, how the experiences of soldiers betray the myth of

war romanticized by propaganda.

War propaganda and war glorification have been significant aspects of American history,

particularly during times of conflict. American soldiers are led to believe in a romanticized,

cleaned up version of the war, where they crusade into the unknown to fight back against the

enemy, their possible death a heroic one. This glorification portrays war in a positive or heroic

light, downplaying the brutal and destructive aspects of armed conflict, creating the illusion of

glory that can be achieved through war only. This is seen in the portrayal of soldiers as brave

heroes, crusaders who dedicate their soul to God and their country, and the framing of wars as

noble endeavors, often used to get morale going high and maintain public support for the war

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effort. We see such propaganda and glorification in the story "Private Arche Lemon" who says

„He said that we were not soldiers, in the accepted sense of the word: We were crusaders who

had dedicated our lives and our soul to our country and to our God that the things we revere and

hold sacred, might not parish . . . I don’t mind getting killed to do a thing like that. I don't mind,

since people coming after me will live in happiness and peace…” (March 22)

In Company K, the soldiers start off believing in the myth of war, clearly drunken with

ideas of glory and dedicating their lives to protecting their country and are entirely desensitized

to the true horrors of war. In the story “Private Samuel Updike” the soldiers are on solid ground

for the first time in fourteen days and start pushing each other and doing handsprings while

laughing. They are unable to comprehend why the local people are glaring at them, until a

woman scolds them and says they are at war. This experience greatly emphasizes the disconnect

recruits have from civilians and those personally affected by war. Their minds are brimming with

ideas of glory, and the boyish impulse to jump, to jest and to be blind to the world around them.

They have not yet tasted the true tragedy of war, for all they know their homes are untouched,

families are safe, and they’re, currently, only men doing their jobs. The disconnect between the

soldier, an agent of war, and the average citizen who is always at risk of losing everything to a

soldier just like them, is clearly visible in these brief interactions the troops may have with

civilians. Despite being ones most directly involved with the war, the soldiers are the ones who

fail to grasp the gravity of the situation until it is too late.

Once faced with the true-blue reality of war, the illusion and the myth of war starts to

crack under pressure. In some cases, such as in the story “Sergeant Wilbur Tietjen”, where he

says “You see, the men were so far away, it didn't seem like killing anybody, really. In fact, I

never thought of them as men, but as dolls, and it was hard to believe that anything as small as

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that could feel pain or sorrow.” (March 47), it is shown how a soldier who doesn’t witness the

horrors up close copes with the situation at hand, that being taking away another human’s life.

Because of the literal, physical, distance that a sniper has the privilege to take, a psychological

distance is created. A distance that creates a safe barrier between the perpetrator and the act of

murder. This distance is the only thing keeping the psyche of a man safe from being crushed

under the weight of his actions. But, in other cases, foot soldiers are not given the liberty of

physically distancing themselves from their crimes. We see this clearly in stories “Private

Manuel Burt “, who was driven insane by the weight of his conscience after killing a German

boy, and the story of “The Unknown Soldier”, who says “The mayor will be there also, pointing

to my name with his thick, trembling forefinger and shouting meaningless words about glorious

deaths and fields of honor…And there will be other little boys in that crowd to listen and believe

him, just as I listened and believed!"(March 181) when thinking about how his death in the war

will be portrayed. These two soldiers come face to face with the consequences of their actions

and have intense, winded realizations about the role they play in the war. These are moments,

among others in Company K, where it is shown how the façade crumbles and shows the ugly

underbelly of the war. By the end of the war, William March shows how the myth of glory and

honor is broken, blown away by the genuine ghastliness of the acts committed by soldiers in the

name of their country and their God. The minds of men involved fail to cope with the weight of

their actions, bumbling and buzzing with guilt and repulsion, as shown both the unknown soldier

and Private Burt are tormented by their own thoughts and realizations, Burt even so to the point

of losing his sanity. The unknown soldier finds respite in a merciful death from the German

soldier, but not before he decides to take himself out of the narrative, throwing away his

identifiers, despising the thought of his image being used to push more children into recruitment.

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With gruesomely genuine descriptions of how frail the human psyche is in face of war, March

aims do disassemble the myth of war that promises men glory.

To conclude, Company K remains relevant in its dissection of the dehumanizing nature of

war and the human spirit that persists amidst its chaos, showcasing the transformation of

ordinary men into soldiers, their humanity twisted by battle. In the crucible of war, the myth of

romanticized heroism and glory often clashes with the raw truth that the soldiers of Company K

confront on the battlefield. William March's narrative stands as a testament to the grim realities

of war, painting the portrait of the psychological toll it exacts on those who serve. It exposes the

dehumanizing effects of combat, stripping away the façade of chivalry and honor, revealing the

stark vulnerability of individuals grappling with their own mortality. In this betrayal of the myth

of war, William March aims to portray the men in his novel not as brave heroes, but as realistic

depictions of people tricked into, and changed by war, as prisoners of circumstance.