Defender Of The Faith

“I had changed enough in two years not to mind the trembling of old people, the crying of the very young, the uncertainty and fear in the eyes of the once arrogant.” 

In the first paragraph of the short story, the narrator, Sergeant Nathan Marx, describes the changes he has experienced as a combatant in Europe during World War II. He explains to the reader that, thanks to his time in combat, he feels impervious to the emotional vulnerabilities of others. His mention of “the once arrogant” foreshadows his decision to ensure that Private Sheldon Grossbart is sent to the Pacific instead of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.

“Getting off the desk, he said ‘Sheldon Grossbart.’ He smiled at the familiarity into which he’d led me.”

When Sergeant Marx meets Grossbart for the first time, the trainee presumes a familiarity with the sergeant that Marx does not appreciate. Grossbart first approaches the sergeant, perches himself on Marx’s desk, and introduces himself by his first name. The sergeant calls him “Sheldon” unthinkingly while instructing him to stand on his feet, participating in the familiarity Grossbart desires without intending to do so. Marx is aware that he has been manipulated and that Grossbart is pleased to have done it.

“Finally, it was time to drink the wine. The chaplain smiled down at them as Grossbart swigged his in one long gulp, Halpern sipped, meditating, and Fishbein faked devotion with an empty cup.”

Marx observes the three young privates at the Friday evening religious services in Chapel No. 3 at Camp Crowder, where he has chosen to attend alone. He observes the trainees and notices that only Halpern appears to be praying in a genuine way; the other two, Grossbart and Fishbein, are perhaps attending the services for reasons other than religious devotion.