Defender Of The Faith

The narrator and protagonist, Sergeant Nathan Marx, sets the stage in the early paragraphs of the short story. The year is 1945, and he has just arrived to Camp Crowder, Missouri, after fighting in the war in Germany. Marx explains that he has undergone significant changes since his time as a combatant began, and he describes his transformation as beneficial: “I had been fortunate enough to develop an infantryman’s heart, which, like his feet, at first aches and swells but finally grows horny enough for him to travel the weirdest paths without feeling a thing” (1). Marx’s commanding officer is Captain Paul Barrett, a “short, gruff, and fiery” (1) man who had been wounded in combat in Europe and had “returned to the States only a few months before” (1). While introducing Marx to the troops, he states that Marx is likely “expect[ing] to find a company of soldiers here, and not a company of boys” (1).

Later that same day, while Marx is working at his desk, one trainee in particular stands out to Marx: “[He] had been staring at me whenever he thought I wouldn’t notice” (1). The trainee speaks to Marx about the customary Friday night cleaning routine.