An Episode of War

by

Stephen Crane

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The over-eager and dismissive officer scolds the injured lieutenant for improperly treating his wound, further adding to the protagonist’s deep sense of shame. Though his exact rank is unclear, this officer is likely the equal or the superior of the lieutenant. As such, he is the first one to belittle him from a position of authority. When he meets the officer, the lieutenant has just been relieved of duty after suffering a gunshot under embarrassing circumstances. The officer heightens this fresh shame in two ways. First, when they cross paths, he asks the lieutenant about “things of which he knew nothing.” For a military leader to be ignorant is embarrassing indeed. Second—and far graver—the officer immediately “scolds” him for improper care of his wound (a verb Crane repeats for effect). Without really asking, the brash officer tries to fix it, cutting the lieutenant’s sleeve and laying “bare the arm,” as the lieutenant’s “nerve[s] […] softly fluttered under his touch.” His over-confidence makes the lieutenant hang his head and feel inadequate. And the whole process, with the officer unwrapping trembling, naked skin, resembles a parent changing a baby’s diaper—a feeling of belittlement that later solidifies when a surgeon chides the fearful lieutenant for acting like a “baby.” This surgeon, furthermore, lets readers know that the officer’s bandage was poor from the start, a revelation that suggests the lieutenant has been denigrated by someone as clueless as he is. The officer’s “scolding” behavior in the moment, and his brazenness toward the meek lieutenant, help introduce two of Crane’s themes: that people (such as the officer) tend to treat the injured with snobbishness, and that war makes people (such as the lieutenant) keenly aware of their own inadequacies.

The Officer Quotes in An Episode of War

The An Episode of War quotes below are all either spoken by The Officer or refer to The Officer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Rank vs. Human Judgment Theme Icon
).
An Episode of War Quotes

He appropriated the lieutenant and the lieutenant’s wound. He cut the sleeve and laid bare the arm, every nerve of which softly fluttered under his touch. He bound his handkerchief over the wound, scolding away in the meantime. His tone allowed one to think that he was in the habit of being wounded every day. The lieutenant hung his head, feeling, in this presence, that he did not know how to be correctly wounded.

Related Characters: The Lieutenant, The Officer
Page Number: 655
Explanation and Analysis:

He seemed possessed suddenly of a great contempt for the lieutenant. This wound evidently placed the latter on a very low social plane. The doctor cried out impatiently: “What mutton-head had tied it up that way anyhow?” The lieutenant answered, “Oh, a man.”

Related Characters: The Lieutenant (speaker), The Surgeon (speaker), The Officer
Page Number: 655
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Officer Quotes in An Episode of War

The An Episode of War quotes below are all either spoken by The Officer or refer to The Officer. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Rank vs. Human Judgment Theme Icon
).
An Episode of War Quotes

He appropriated the lieutenant and the lieutenant’s wound. He cut the sleeve and laid bare the arm, every nerve of which softly fluttered under his touch. He bound his handkerchief over the wound, scolding away in the meantime. His tone allowed one to think that he was in the habit of being wounded every day. The lieutenant hung his head, feeling, in this presence, that he did not know how to be correctly wounded.

Related Characters: The Lieutenant, The Officer
Page Number: 655
Explanation and Analysis:

He seemed possessed suddenly of a great contempt for the lieutenant. This wound evidently placed the latter on a very low social plane. The doctor cried out impatiently: “What mutton-head had tied it up that way anyhow?” The lieutenant answered, “Oh, a man.”

Related Characters: The Lieutenant (speaker), The Surgeon (speaker), The Officer
Page Number: 655
Explanation and Analysis: