"The Man He Killed" is a poem by Thomas Hardy in 1902. The poem describes the inner conflict of a soldier who has killed an enemy soldier in battle. The poem's speaker reflects on the absurdity of war and how it turns ordinary men into killers.
The poem is a dramatic monologue, with the soldier addressing the reader directly. He begins by acknowledging that the man he killed was not his enemy in any absolute sense. They had no personal quarrels and could have easily been friends in different circumstances.
The soldier then reflects on the absurdity of war and how it pits men against each other, forcing them to kill or be killed. He questions the motives behind war and the political and social systems that drive it.
Throughout the poem, Hardy highlights the psychological toll that war takes on soldiers, particularly the guilt and regret of killing another human being. The soldier in the poem grapples with the moral implications of his actions, questioning whether he is a murderer or a hero.
