No people at all, though, and that was giving him a queer feeling in his water. Aye, there was a war on, right enough, and many of the menfolk were gone, but the farmhouses hadn't been sacrificed to the war effort, had they? The women were running the farms, feeding the nation, all that-he'd heard the PM on the radio praising them for it only last week. So where the bloody hell was everybody? The
In the narrative, the protagonist experiences a haunting sense of emptiness as he notices the absence of people during a time of war. Although many men have left to fight, the rural landscape remains intact, with women managing farms and sustaining the community. This situation leads to a troubling feeling that contrasts with the rhetoric of bravery and resilience often celebrated in media, emphasizing the poignant reality of those still laboring at home.
The protagonist's bewilderment reflects a broader commentary on the sacrifices made during wartime, where the contributions of women and the reality of daily life often go unacknowledged in heroic narratives. His search for understanding in this eerie silence reveals both the personal and collective impact of war, questioning where everyone has gone and underscoring the invisible struggles that persist amid turmoil.
