Boardwalk Empire, shell shock and the Great War: the characters of militarism

Abstract

I will examine the HBO drama ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and the show’s depiction of WWI veterans Jimmy Darmody and Richard Harrow, the trials and tribulations of dealing with the fallout of shell shock, the psychological precursor to modern day PTSD. The drama provided two compelling characters who attempted to live 'normal' lives, but instead chose a life of crime and mobster violence in an effort to readjust to society. In that attempt, both struggled with what the war meant and if they ever really left the war behind.