Defender Of The Faith

Foreshadowing can enhance the reading experience, especially if, at the end of a story, the reader remembers a small but significant detail from the start. For example, at the beginning of “Defender of the Faith,” Sergeant Marx claims that war has toughened him up, so much so that he feels inured to the effects of observing “fear in the eyes of the once arrogant” (1).

This admission foreshadows the end of the short story, when Marx, in fact, does observe fear in Grossbart’s eyes. If Grossbart had not pushed Marx so far, Marx might have overlooked Grossbart’s obvious and self-serving role in avoiding the Pacific theater when the trainees’ orders come out. But, because Grossbart had asked for too much too many times, Marx feels a need to exact revenge, which leads Marx to make the phone call that ensures that Grossbart will go to the Pacific with all of the other trainees.