Two Soldiers by William Faulkner. Short summary

5 seconds

When his older brother goes off to war with Japan, the boy is sent to a military post to fetch him. He is brought home with difficulty.

1 minute

An eight-year-old boy’s older brother, Pete, volunteers for the war with Japan. The boy is going with him, but the young man tells the child that he needs to stay and help his parents on the farm.

Pete leaves for Memphis. The boy goes after him at night. He struggles to get to Memphis to a military post.

They try to send the boy back, but he wants to go to the front, to help the soldiers. When they try to send him away, the child pulls out a knife.

He categorically declares that he, too, can be useful in the war and will not go anywhere.

To calm the boy down, Pete is summoned. He persuades his younger brother to return to his parents, kissing him goodbye.

The boy is taken completely by surprise by his brother’s kiss, for the harsh farmers of their region are not inclined to tenderness.

The military takes the child home. On the way, he cries.