What could a quarrel between a shop owner and his supplier, a short-lived romance and the last moments of a moth have in common? The answer is: more than you think. Despite having seemingly unrelated plots, “Armistice,” “A Very Short Story,” and “Death of the Moth” all feature the same motif: personal drama against the backdrop of war. However, the authors of the three texts, Bernard Malamud, Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf respectively, incorporate this theme in three very distinct ways. Let's start with the most obvious example: “Armistice”. Shortly after the beginning, Bernard Malamud introduces the background of the story: the first year of the Second World War. The main characters, the grocery store owner Morris Lieberman and his meat supplier Gus Wagner, support two representatives of the main opposing factions during that period of the war, namely France and Germany. Morris is a Jew, who naturally fears the Nazis and “places his hope for the salvation of the Jews in his faith in the French army.” In contrast, Gus is “inflamed by the Nazi conquests and believes they have the strength and power to conquer the world.” Oddly enough, these two men with completely opposite ideals “had almost been friends once.” But now, the ongoing war is slowly increasing the distance between them. Furthermore, the changes in their relationships are mirror images of the events happening on the front. With each German victory over the French, Gus becomes increasingly proud and contemptuous of Morris, who becomes increasingly anxious and fearful. The culmination of their volatile relationship coincides with the devastating blow the Germans deal to the French when they capture Paris. That night, Morris falls into despair and feels uneasy... middle of paper... death is further supported by the fact that some of his other works, such as “Mrs. Dalloway and “To the Lighthouse” feature war or post-war settings. Although the war is not explicitly mentioned in its text, I believe that “The Death of the Moth” can be seen as a product of Virginia Woolf's personal drama against the backdrop of the war. Countless works of modern literature include, in one way or another, the theme of personal drama against the backdrop of war. In some of them, such as “Armistice” by Bernard Malamud, war is the basis of the personality of the main characters. In others, such as Ernest Hemingway's “A Very Short Story,” it provides the circumstances for the main events of the story. In still others, such as Virginia Woolf's "The Death of the Moth", the presence of war is implicit, but its influence extends far beyond the text, perhaps even to the author herself..