Jackrabbit of a Man
"The truth is, Frederick, I think you're just a terrible person."
"You don't mean that."
"As your sister, I completely and utterly mean it."
This story centers around two WW1 veterans who bond over common experiences, despite having fought on different sides of the war.
Basic rundown of events that happen in this narrative:
- Frederick and Hugo meet after the war ends when Frederick is stationed in Hugo’s small town. They end up becoming close and start a secret relationship.
- Frederick is forced to move back to America after the occupation ends. They decide to stay in touch through letters, but also end the relationship. They still miss each other regardless.
- Frederick moves to New York City to pursue his dreams of becoming a published writer. His sister eventually moves into the same apartment with him.
- rederick is forced to navigate the challenges of living in the city as a heavily marginalized person.
- Meanwhile, Hugo must reckon with the sharp increase of antisemitism after the war. He contemplates leaving everything behind, including his family, to be with Frederick. But he is also incredibly loyal to Germany, so it is a hard choice for him.
Characters
Frederick
A quiet yet nervous wreck of a man, he tends to liken himself to the jackrabbits who dwell in the Arizona desert. Underneath his surface-level irateness lies a sensitive and emotional man, one who is not afraid to cry as well pour his heart out into his writing.
Myrtle
She is an angry, bitter, and extremely resilient woman who deep down is defined by her extensive trauma. Who could blame her, after everything she's been through?
Hugo
A cautious yet proud man, Hugo struggles to figure out his societal role after the Great War comes to an end. All he yearns for is to gain his independence and start his own life away from his family of dairy goat farmers.
Excerpts
Description
Meta
This story was a long time coming. I've had a special interest in WWI since I saw 1917 in 2019, so writing a WWI-centric story was sort of invetiable.
As with most of my stories, the idea stemmed from me fleshing out a character. In Frederick's case, I developed him for a WWI/WWII OC server I was in at the time so I could interact with other people. However, doing research for his backstory and looking into the history of Indigenous Americans in the military during this time period caught my attention more. My desire to tell this fictional man's story is also rooted in my interest in the history of the military service of non-white men. (This is something I am particularly interested in with thanks to my grandfather's service.)
To this day, I'm still struggling to make the story as accurate and sensitive as possible within my limits. It's been an intersting challenge so far.