strong but woven finely, contrast between a soldiers typical tough outer persona compared to his weak mental state
"sweating unexploded mine"
indicates the danger and volatility present in the soldier
self destructive
not visible to everyone but can affect anyone
"after passionate nights and intimate days"
honey-moon phase
change in personality after war
verbs such as "explore" and "handled " are used to show his wife is on a a manhunt trying to find him again which she is only capable of when every "nerve in his body had tightened and closed" but event then he wasn't truly himself he was just a shell of who he used to be
