What is john steinbecks purpose in writing the essay “symptoms”

In the essay "Symptoms," John Steinbeck discusses the effects that war can have on soldiers. He argues that soldiers often try to forget their experiences as a defense mechanism.

Steinbeck elaborates on this by comparing it to childbirth. He tells us that women similarly have the ability to forget about a traumatic experience because this enables them to have more children. It is a defense mechanism. Similarly, soldiers are able to forget the hardship of war in order to keep living their lives or to fight in a war again.

Steinbeck's purpose was to explain the experiences of war in a way that was more relatable to the reader. He is successful in doing so because he compares it to a phenomenon most readers are likely to be familiar with.