The saying “Existence precedes essence” is the slogan of existentialism. This element of existentialism is shown throughout the story “The Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway. Among the different elements of existentialism, existence precedes essence and is most evident in “Soldier's Home”. Harold Krebs was a World War I soldier who returned a few months later than the rest of the men from his town. He was forced to tell lies about his war experiences in order to get along and fit in with the people of his city. “His lies were entirely meaningless lies, and consisted in attributing to himself things which other men had seen, done, or heard, and in asserting as facts certain apocryphal incidents familiar to all soldiers” (Hemingway 654). Even though the lies didn't matter much in the overall scheme of things, the lies did have an impact on Krebs. The lies Krebs told changed him and devalued his real war experiences. Krebs was aware that if he continued to lie he would no longer be true to himself. "In 'Soldier's Home,' Hemingway uses conflict to show how society requires conformity and unjust fighting...