Norman Rockwell and the Heroism of Warfare

I'm going to break from our regularly scheduled programming to talk very briefly about one of my favorite paintings, which can be seen after the break. Norman Rockwell painted this particular piece, The War Hero, in late 1945 after the end of the Second World War. I think it's especially wonderful because it breaks away from the common, proud and determined American narrative of the war to introduce a sad and fundamental truth of all warfare.

I love this painting especially because of its depth. At first glance, it may seem like the story being told is one of personal and national pride- and the title would seem to support this interpretation. Beyond the people in the painting (namely a young marine, holding a flag of the Japanese Empire), there are many elements that support a heroic narrative: a newspaper cutout hanging on the wall, featuring a picture of the young marine and reading "Garageman a Hero"; the men have huddled around the marine to hear his tale; the marine even brought a flag, perhaps at the behest of his friends to show his trophy.

But, upon further scrutiny, it becomes clear clear that nobody in the image feels particularly heroic. The marine ("Joe", if the the garage uniform hanging next to the poster is any indication) bears an expression of shame, sadness, and fear as he tells his story- he seems barely able to look in the eye of the young boy across from him. His fingers clutch at the flag only loosely- it is not a trophy, but a burden. The men that sit around him, presumably listening to him speak, look on silently, seemingly unable or too ashamed to say a word. One garageman is too stunned to resonate any other emotion, and the security guard sits in only bemused and dejected sadness and humiliation. The boy in the maroon sweater seems scared and awestruck. Clearly, everyone in the room had been expecting Joe to tell a different story- a story of heroics and adventure. Clearly, no one expected Joe to tell them a story he was ashamed of. Clearly, what they had believed about Joe and the war was very, very wrong.

The story here is not entirely clear- we don't know what Joe did or why he is ashamed of it. I would argue that he probably killed Japanese soldiers, and found that such killing was not as easy, moral, or justified as he had been told. But, even without telling the exact story, Rockwell does an excellent job with relating his idea: Joe questions whether his actions were indeed heroic, and what the cost of his "heroism" really was. He feels great shame, and the others are saddened and horrified as they learn the truth of what took place. The title turns out to be one of sad irony.

I love this painting. I love it because it shows war's true colors- its horror, its duality, its ambiguity, its inherent immorality, its unconscionable foolishness, and its constant, tragic overtones. I love it because, without speaking a single word, Rockwell shows that he understands the greatest truth about war: no matter the morality of  combatants, no matter the perceived righteousness of their cause or the established justice of their ideologies and regimes, war is always tragic.