The Literature of Combat: American Fiction of World War II

Chapter 1: The Pre-War Landscape: Literature and Politics Before the Storm

The prelude to World War II was marked by an intricate interplay of political, social, and economic forces that shaped the American literary landscape. In the years leading up to the war, America was still grappling with the lingering effects of the Great Depression, a time when millions of Americans faced unemployment, poverty, and the collapse of their previous social and economic structures. This era of hardship and uncertainty significantly influenced the themes and styles of the literature that emerged in the 1930s. Writers became increasingly concerned with the struggles of the working class, the rise of political extremism, and the ethical and philosophical questions that arose from the collapse of the American Dream. Figures such as John Steinbeck, Richard Wright, and William Faulkner sought to portray the lives of ordinary Americans, examining their responses to societal failure, economic deprivation, and racial injustice.

In this politically charged atmosphere, literature was both a reflection of and a reaction to the social and economic conditions of the time. Writers like Steinbeck, with his portrayal of migrant workers in The Grapes of Wrath, sought to capture the struggles of the disenfranchised in a rapidly changing society. His vivid descriptions of the Joad family’s journey from the Dust Bowl to California became symbolic of the broader American experience during the Depression—one marked by hardship but also by the strength of the human spirit. Steinbeck's depiction of the labor struggles and the fight for social justice in his novels resonated deeply with readers, as it addressed the conflicts between the individual and society, the rich and the poor, and the powerless and the powerful.

Meanwhile, Richard Wright's Native Son provided a searing commentary on the racial dynamics that permeated American society. Published in 1940, Wright's novel offered a profound exploration of racial identity and the systemic forces that shaped the lives of African Americans in Chicago. Through the tragic story of Bigger Thomas, a young Black man caught between the forces of poverty, prejudice, and his own sense of alienation, Wright exposed the brutal realities of racism and the internalized struggles of the African American experience. Native Son was groundbreaking not only for its unflinching portrayal of race and violence in America but also for the way it captured the psychological effects of systemic oppression. Wright’s novel, along with other works by Black writers like Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes, helped to lay the foundation for the later developments of the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement.

At the same time, the rise of political extremism—exemplified by the growing popularity of fascism and communism in Europe—had a deep impact on American literary circles. The international rise of fascism and the ominous growth of Adolf Hitler’s power in Nazi Germany forced American writers to consider the implications of authoritarianism and the threats to individual freedoms. Authors like Sinclair Lewis, in his 1935 novel It Can’t Happen Here, imagined a future where America fell victim to a fascist regime. Lewis’s satirical portrayal of the rise of a populist dictator in the United States serves as a warning against the dangers of political complacency and the erosion of democratic values. The novel reflected the fears that many Americans had regarding the potential for fascist ideologies to take root in their own country, and it echoed broader concerns about the decline of political civility and the rise of demagoguery.

Despite the global concerns and domestic unrest, the literary community was not monolithic in its response to the events unfolding in Europe. The political leanings of authors varied widely, with some embracing left-wing ideologies and others resisting any form of political engagement. The 1930s saw the development of what has been called the proletarian novel, a genre that emphasized the experiences of the working class and sought to critique capitalist structures. This movement was heavily influenced by Marxist thought and the rise of labor movements throughout the world. Writers like John Dos Passos and Upton Sinclair became known for their critiques of American capitalism and their portrayal of the harsh realities faced by working people. Dos Passos’s USA Trilogy, published between 1930 and 1936, exemplified the growing interest in political and social critique. Through fragmented narrative styles and a focus on the intersections of individual lives and historical events, Dos Passos painted a portrait of a society divided by class and racial tensions.

In the midst of this social and political upheaval, the military began to gain a more central place in American discourse, particularly with the looming threat of war in Europe. The rise of Adolf Hitler and the expansion of fascism in Europe created an atmosphere of growing tension and anxiety. For American writers, the prospect of war was an abstraction that would soon transform into a tangible reality. It was during this time that military preparedness, isolationist sentiments, and debates over interventionism became focal points in public discourse. The literary community was not detached from this climate, and many authors began to reflect on the possibility of American involvement in a global conflict. The politics of war became increasingly intertwined with the political ideologies expressed in literature, and the impending war raised difficult questions about nationalism, the role of the United States in global politics, and the ethics of war.

By the end of the 1930s, the stage was set for the literary explosion that would come with the United States’ entry into World War II. The political concerns of the decade—racism, labor struggles, the rise of fascism, and the question of America’s role in international conflict—would all come to inform the literature of the war years. Writers who had spent the preceding decade documenting the economic and social struggles of the American people would now turn their attention to the human cost of war, the psychological trauma of combat, and the moral ambiguities of American involvement in a global conflict. As World War II loomed on the horizon, American literature stood at a crossroads, its writers preparing to respond to the realities of the coming storm in ways that would shape the future of American fiction for decades to come.

The onset of World War II brought forth a profound transformation in the American literary landscape. Writers who had been focused on domestic issues, economic inequality, and racial injustice began to confront the reality of total war. The generation of writers that emerged in the 1930s, including the likes of Steinbeck, Wright, Faulkner, and Lewis, laid the groundwork for the war fiction that would soon take center stage. Their works spoke not only to the social and political conditions of the time but also to the deep, often troubling questions about human nature, identity, and survival that would define American literature during the war years.

Chapter 2: The Call to Arms: The War and Its Early Literary Representations

The United States’ entry into World War II in December 1941 marked a transformative moment not only in the nation’s history but also in its literary output. As the country mobilized for war, literature began to reflect the profound shifts occurring in both American society and the global order. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and the subsequent declarations of war by the United States against Japan and Germany thrust America into a global conflict, and writers, many of whom had spent the previous decade focusing on domestic issues such as the Great Depression and social inequality, were now confronted with the challenge of representing the experience of war. The shift from pre-war to wartime concerns was not only political but also deeply philosophical, as the nature of good and evil, the morality of combat, and the role of America in the international community became urgent subjects of literary exploration.

In the years following the attack on Pearl Harbor, American writers found themselves torn between two dominant forces: the moral imperative to support the war effort and the deep-seated desire to critique and question the implications of war. At the heart of this struggle was the sense of patriotism and duty that seemed to sweep across the nation. Yet, even within the patriotic fervor, there was space for skepticism and disillusionment, particularly among writers who had lived through the disillusionment of the Great Depression. The earliest literary responses to the war were thus a combination of calls to action and attempts to grapple with the ethical dilemmas posed by the conflict.

One of the first literary works to directly engage with