The Soldier in White

The mysterious, mummy-like patient who haunts the hospital and symbolizes dehumanization.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Arrival in the ward

The Enigma The Silent Presence The soldier in white is smuggled into the ward overnight. He is encased in plaster and gauze, with only a black hole for a mouth. Tubes connect him to jars of fluid. The Reaction The other patients are repelled. They fear he will moan. Only the Texan talks to him. The nurses tend him meticulously. The Mystery No one knows who he is or if he is conscious. He is a living mummy, a symbol of the war's dehumanization. His existence is purely mechanical.

Death and accusation

The Discovery The Thermometer Nurse Cramer reads his thermometer and finds he is dead. Dunbar and Yossarian accuse the Texan of murdering him. The Texan is bewildered. The Blame They claim the Texan killed him because he was a nigger, though the soldier in white's race is unknown. The accusation is absurd but reflects their anger. The Aftermath The soldier in white is removed. The ward returns to normal. But his memory lingers, a reminder of the war's anonymous victims.

Return of the soldier in white

The Recurrence The Shock Dunbar and Yossarian return from a movie to find the soldier in white back in the ward. Dunbar screams that he is back. Panic erupts. The Chaos Patients run and scream. Dunbar claims there is no one inside, that they have stolen him away. The ward descends into bedlam. The Removal Doctors and M.P.s arrive. They take the soldier in white away. Dunbar is later "disappeared." The soldier in white is a harbinger of disappearance.

During Yossarian's first hospital stay

When Nurse Cramer discovers he is dead

During Yossarian's second hospital stay, after Thanksgiving