star in a box

"There was a star in a box on his sleeve because he was a major."
- A Farewell to arms, end of Ch. XV

It struck me how Hemmingway wrote about the patch on a Major Surgeon's arm. He was pleased with the doctor, he had given him a good prognosis. And then we read this comment about his patch.

In any kind of exploration of art and or literature, I just go into it assuming that I'm probably missing the main point of the author. All that I can write about is what the author makes me feel.

At first glance it strikes me as something that just happened. The star just fell there, it just happened. Kind of off-hand, or willy-nilly.

But since I've read it, I've thought about things that have "just been" because of who I am.

What have been the direct results of you, being who you are?

I like to believe that certain things exist because I've made them a priority. I like to believe that other things have ceased because I fought to get rid of them. I have starred some boxes. I have cleaned some patches entirely away. Not all of them for good, not all of them for good and proper reasons.

We all have our strong points, and we all have our quirks. And maybe a small star on a box on a sleeve sounds like a gold star that you received as a child for good attendance. But this side of eternity, the things that we do.... are all we have. It is all we have. People don't care what we believe until they see what we do.

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