There is a temptation - particularly in a time of war - to view Articles as an "anti-war" novel, but I think this misses the point. The story isn't about war in the larger sense of geo-politics, moral philosophy, or the depravity of man. And, despite its vivid portrayal of the brutality, it isn't really about how every war - no matter how well intentioned - turns out badly. No, what Arvin is getting at, in my opinion, is the "internalities" of war; what happens when flawed, and often fragile, human beings meet the extremes that war can bring. The Marianne Moore epigraph makes this clear: "There never was a war that was not inward."

It may be a cliche, but it is nevertheless true that these types of events reveal people's character in an almost raw way; they strip away the barriers we put up to hide our true selves. This is the process Heck finds himself in, much to his horror. Heck is a sort of prototypical Midwestern boy. He is straightforward and mild mannered, not prone to emotional outburst or gestures. He knows the value of hard work and persistence; knows how to "accept orders" even "tedious and exhausting" ones. He can shoot a gun. But under this competence lies doubt and fear. He has an "instinctive self-awareness of his own ignorance about many things." As Heck is shipped from the safety of his boyhood home to the unknown terrors of war in Europe, he can feel his fear taking over.