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. At the same time, the trainee introduces himself after taking a seat on the edge of Marx’s desk and appears unperturbed when Marx directs him to “[s]tand on [his] feet” (2). When the trainee, Sheldon Grossbart, questions the routine cleaning of the barracks on Friday nights, Marx responds sharply, surprising himself with a tone of voice that “sounded like every top sergeant [he] had ever known” (2). Grossbart’s movements and facial expression somehow “managed to exclude from [their] affairs everything else in the orderly room” (2). Grossbart whispers to Marx that he and the other “Jewish personnel” thought that, thanks to Marx’s presence, “things might be a little different” (2). Marx gathers that he has been perceived to be Jewish by Grossbart and others, but his cold response to Grossbart’s insinuations causes Grossbart to “confuse himself as to what [his] faith really was” and Marx, disliking the young man, feels “no desire to straighten him out” (3). Grossbart carries on, explaining that “Jews are supposed to go to services” on Friday nights, implying that he and the others need a special dispensation so the others don’t feel that “[they]’re goofing off” (3). When Marx disregards Grossbart’s request, he reminds Grossbart to “stop whining,” stating that he and the others can “stay and scrub floors or […] can go to shul—” (3). Grossbart tries to correct Marx by referring to “church,” but Marx asserts that he means “shul” (4). Grossbart responds by “racing to tell his Jewish friends that they were right—that, like Karl and Harpo, [he] was one of them.” (4)

The next day, Marx tells Captain Barrett about his exchange with Grossbart, intending to explain Grossbart’s situation but somehow unintentionally “defending it” (4). Captain Barrett is clear that “nobody gets special treatment here, for the good or the bad” (4) and states the conditions around which a trainee might earn himself a weekend pass. He expresses his admiration for Marx’s valor and for his “guts” after asking Marx: “You’re a Jewish fella, am I right, Marx?” (4). Marx explains that he simply wants to communicate to the captain “how the men felt,” and the captain discourages Marx from feeling concerned about “the Jewish personnel [who] feel the other men are accusing them of goldbricking” (4). After all, the captain believes that it seems “awful funny that suddenly the Lord is calling so loud in Private Grossman’s ear he’s just got to run to church” (4). Marx corrects the captain: not church, but “synagogue” (4).

That evening, Marx takes matters into his own hands. He instructs Corporal Robert LaHill, the Charge of Quarters of the barracks, to “remind the men that they’re free to attend church services whenever they are held” and specifically, that “Jewish personnel who want to attend services this evening are to fall out in front of the orderly room at 1900” (5). A little while later, as Marx can hear “bunks being pushed to the walls, faucets pounding water into buckets, brooms whisking at the wooden floors” (5), he sees three soldiers waiting outside. Marx approaches Grossbart and the other two Jewish personnel, and the three young men thank Marx “[f]or the announcement,” which ensures that “it won’t seem as though [they]’re just taking off-goldbricking because the work has begun” (6). Grossbart introduces Marx to two other trainees: Larry Fishbein, a tall boy from New York with “a cadaverous face” (6) and bad teeth, and Michael Halpern, who fidgets nervously with his clothes. Marx dismisses the three boys so that they can go to services, and the pleasant evening inspires in Marx “a reverie so strong that [he] felt as though a hand were reaching down inside [him],” reminding Marx of the “softness [he] might feel for [his] fellows” (7), despite the horrors he had seen while in combat. In his renewed sense of wellbeing, Marx, “in search of more of [himself]” (7), decides to attend the Jewish services.

Marx sits in the last row in the chapel, and he observes the three young men two rows in front of him. While the chaplain is “chanting the first line of the responsive reading” (7), Grossbart and Fishbein are playing with the wine in their cups. Halpern is the only one of the three trainees who appears to be praying. When Fishbein sees Marx, “his eyelids beat a tattoo” (7), and he indicates to Grossbart that Marx is present at the services. When “the congregation next responded to the chant, Grossbart’s voice was among the others” (7). The chaplain, Major Leo Ben Ezra, takes a moment to speak with the congregation about “the trafe food [that] tastes like ashes” (8), advising his listeners how to cope with the trafe, or non-Kosher, food that they are served at the camp: “Eat what you must to live, and throw away the rest.” (8) When the chaplain suggests that any of the trainees who struggle with his advice to “seek aid from those higher up,” Grossbart asks Marx if the chaplain means the General or if he means God, and Marx tells him to “ask the chaplain” (8). Grossbart declares he and Halpern will make an appointment, which Halpern rejects, and Grossbart tells Marx that the food caused Halpern to vomit the day before, which Halpern also rejects: “I have a cold—that was why” (9). Fishbein is evasive about his kosher status when Marx questions him, and Grossbart explains that being kosher while at Camp Crowder “gives one a sense of his Jewishness” (9), even though he is not kosher at home. Marx learns that the trainees are 18 and 19 years old, so he encourages Grossbart to “act like a man” (9) before leaving the chapel. While exiting, Marx hears Grossbart call Halpern “my leben” (10), a term of endearment that reminds Marx of his grandmother.

A week later, Captain Barrett summons Marx to his office, demanding to know more about Grossbart, whose “mother called a goddam congressman about the food” (10). The captain is angry because the colonel and the general are “dying to stick this thing on [him]” (10). When Marx attempts to explain, he exaggerates and describes Grossbart as “a very Orthodox Jew” and claims that Jewish parents are “more protective than you expect” (10). Marx’s explanations fuel the captain’s rage, who is indignant: “There’s a war on, and he wants a silver platter!” (10). Marx continues to try to defend Grossbart and he gets more emotional himself, his “voice higher, tighter than before” (11). The captain paraphrases Marx’s description of the closeness of many Jewish families and describes Jews as having a “tendency to be pushy” (11) before driving with Marx to the firing range, where Grossbart and the other trainees are practicing.

When Marx and the captain arrive to the firing range, Marx goes to find Grossbart. He encounters Fishbein, who is “trying to speak intimately” (12) with Marx despite the noise of the shooting. Fishbein asks Marx to find out for him if the trainees are headed for the Pacific, and Marx interrupts their conversation to take Grossbart to the captain. Grossbart and Captain Barrett discuss the food available to the trainees at the camp, and Grossbart tries to involve Marx, who denies knowing what Grossbart does and does not eat. Grossbart claims that he only wants to “be allowed to live as a Jew” (13) and mentions his friends Fishbein and Halpern in this request. The captain’s response to Grossbart is sarcastic, which silences Grossbart, and at this point, Captain Barrett involves Marx to make the point that although Marx is also Jewish, Marx does not “[peep] about the food” (14). Grossbart’s response to this fact is unsatisfactory, so the captain “blew up” (14), demanding to know why Grossbart “[has] to cause trouble” (14) and if he is looking to be discharged. The captain drives away in a rage, leaving Marx and Grossbart alone. Marx suddenly asks Grossbart about his parents, and Marx deduces that Grossbart’s parents could not have written the letter to the congressman. When he confronts Grossbart and asks if he wrote the letter, Grossbart’s eyes “seemed to jump back, to shiver in their sockets” (15). Grossbart admits that he wrote the letter, explaining: “It’s what my father would have written if he had known how” (15). Marx is astonished by the audacity of Grossbart’s deception, so he confronts Grossbart with a series of suspicious questions about Grossbart’s eating habits and a criticism of Grossbart’s easy conscience with the whole matter.

Two days after Marx’s discovery, Marx receives a copy of another letter from Samuel E. Grossbart to Congressman Franconi. In this letter, Grossbart’s father thanks the congressman for his interest and compliments his son Sheldon for deciding to eat whatever food he is served in order “to suffer the pangs of religious remorse for the good of his country and all mankind” (16). As well, Grossbart’s father credits Marx with helping his son “over some of the first hurdles he’s had to face in the Army, and is in part responsible for Sheldon’s changing his mind about the dietary laws” (17). Marx is puzzled by the letter until he realizes that Grossbart has “actually decided to disappear from [his] life” (17). The distance between Marx and Grossbart eventually “allow[s] [Marx] to forgive him [their] past encounters, and finally, to admire him for his good sense” (17). With a regained sense of peace, Marx carries on with his job and with the process of regaining familiarity with his post-combat self. He is surprised one morning to learn that he has gained seven pounds, and he soon “began to be happy” (17).

One day, Grossbart re-insinuates himself into Marx’s life by asking him for two favors. Firstly, he wants to know if it is true that he and the other trainees will soon be shipped out to the Pacific; secondly, Grossbart would like a special weekend pass so that he can attend a late Passover dinner with his relatives in St. Louis. Marx denies knowing anything about the Pacific and reminds Grossbart of a standing rule: “No passes during basic, Grossbart.” (19). Grossbart refuses to take no for an answer, so Marx takes a dig at him, reminding him of the letters he had written to the congressman. Grossbart accuses Marx of “persecuting” (19) him, trying to make Marx feel guilty for denying him. When Marx tells Grossbart to “[g]et the hell out of [his] sight” (19), Grossbart compares Marx to Hitler. Grossbart soon becomes emotional, and he finally leaves Marx. An hour after this exchange, Marx sees Grossbart leaving the camp, wearing “starched khakis and [carrying] a little leather ditty bag” (20). As soon as Marx understands that Grossbart intends to leave the camp without the necessary permission, he writes him the pass, earning himself a compliment from Grossbart: “You’re a good Jew, Sergeant. You like to think you have a hard heart, but underneath, you’re a fine, decent man.” (21). While Marx is enjoying the effects of his decision “to stop fighting Grossbart” (22), Grossbart reappears with Fishbein and Halpern in tow, both dressed in their khakis and carrying similar ditty bags. He asks Marx for two more passes for his friends. Marx refuses, accusing Grossbart of “push[ing] a little too hard,” so Grossbart offers his pass to Halpern, promising to “give him [his] aunt’s address and a little note” (22). After some hesitation, during which Marx tries to explain his position to Halpern and Fishbein, Marx gives in and takes “the cover off [his] typewriter, and ma[kes] out passes for him and Fishbein” (23).

Marx reflects on his decision later while drinking beer in a bar near Camp Crowder. He remembers his grandmother, who knew that “mercy overrides justice” and questions his own tendency to be “a penny pincher with kindness” (23). The next day, when Marx learns from a colleague that the trainees will all soon be shipped out to the Pacific, he feels shock, “as though [he] were the father of Halpern, Fishbein, and Grossbart” (24).

The same night Marx learns this news, Grossbart appears at Marx’s bedside just as Marx is about to fall asleep. Grossbart confides in Marx that he heard Halpern weeping “in the bed next to [him]” in desolation because he could not seem to bear not “know[ing] where we were going” (24). Although Marx intuits that Grossbart is lying about Halpern, he tells Grossbart the truth. Immediately, Grossbart asks if Marx has the power to change the order, and Marx explains that there is nothing to be done but to “[p]ray for a miracle” (25). Before Grossbart leaves, he gives Marx a paper bag that had “a damp grease spot on the bottom” (25) containing an egg roll. When Marx expresses surprise that Grossbart’s aunt had served egg rolls at the Passover dinner, Grossbart explains that she “wasn’t at home” (25) and that he had misread the dates of her invitation. When Marx confronts Grossbart yet again about his chronic dishonesty, Grossbart defends himself by saying that “the day away did us all a world of good” (26). Marx “grabbed his shirt front,” threatening Grossbart and demanding that he “stay the hell away” (26), and Grossbart leaves Marx’s room. In a fit of rage, Marx throws the bag containing the egg roll out the window. The next morning, he hears “a great cry go up from one of the trainees” (26) who was overjoyed at finding an egg roll while he gathered litter from the area around the barracks.

A week later, Marx reads the orders that command all trainees to Camp Stoneman in California and then to the Pacific. He notes knowingly that all trainees are destined for this course of action, except for Grossbart, who was headed to Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Marx knew Grossbart “had pulled a string, and [Marx] wasn’t it,” so he calls Sergeant Wright at C. and A. to explain that he has “‘a kid here on orders to Monmouth who wants them changed” because “[h]e had a brother killed in Europe, and he’s hot to go to the Pacific” (27). The name of the kid is Sheldon Grossbart, Marx explains, and he is “a Jewish kid, so he thought [Marx] could help him out” (27).

That night, Grossbart confronts Marx, calling him a “son of a bitch” and saying: “I curse the day I ever met you, Marx!” (28). Marx refuses to argue with Grossbart, reassuring the young man that he will “be all right” (29). Marx ends the story with an observation of the other trainees “trying as best they could to accept their fate” (29), while he and Grossbart both do the best they can to accept their own fates as well.