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Defender of the Faith In Philip Roth s, Defender of the Faith, a veteran of the European theatre, Nathan Marx has recently returned to the US from the war that ended in Europe. When he arrives to the US, Captain Barrett appoints him Sergeant, which provides him the responsibilities that Sergeant Thurston leaves behind. As soon as Marx takes over the position, he faces several dilemmas, where he loses his objective but realizes it at the end and tries to take back authority. Being a Sergeant, he has a difficult rank maintaining a balance between his beliefs as a Jew, as a human, and his role as a Sergeant. Sergeant Marx loses his objective as a Sergeant in the sense that he is taken advantage of when he meets one of the trainees from the camp, called Sheldon Grossbart. For instance, by calling the service shul and not church, Grossbart knew Marx is Jewish.
When Grossbart tries to correct him by saying, You mean church, Sergeant. Marx was furious that he had given himself away and relented by saying, I mean shul, Grossbart! This was a small victory for Grossbart, and one he would use to his advantage. With an appeal to their common Jewish religion, Marx finds his duty being converted and his emotions being stirred. With this relationship, Grossbart tries to use him at every turn by using their religious ties as a weapon. By utilizing Marx, Grossbart and two other Jewish trainees lead Marx into believing they were interested in going to church instead of cleaning the barracks.
Marx, knowing it was unfair that they were denied the chance to attend church services, then tells Grossbart that they can now attend them. Marx, being manipulated loses his supremacy and becomes equivalent to Grossbart and the other Jewish trainees because of his characteristics being too generous and too sympathetic. At the point of realization, Marx was furious in the sense that he was manipulated by Grossbart. Afterwards, he obtains back his dominance and gets vengeance by shipping Grossbart to the Pacific, where the war is held. Regaining back the position of a Sergeant, Marx is able to over come his weaknesses and proceed with a suitable duty he s suppose to be in.
In conclusion, maintaining a balance between his beliefs as a Jew, as a human and as a Sergeant was quite difficult for him due to the religious affiliation he encounters with Grossbart and the two other Jews. This is how he loses his objectivity as a Sergeant and becomes an equivalent status to them.
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Research essay sample on Balance Between His Beliefs Loses His Objective Marx
