The Soldier in White Dies

The soldier in white, a patient encased entirely in plaster and gauze with tubes for feeding and drainage, is discovered dead by Nurse Cramer when she reads his thermometer. The Texan, who had befriended him, is accused by Yossarian and Dunbar of murdering him, though the Texan never touched him. The incident highlights the absurdity and dehumanization of war, as the soldier in white was more a collection of medical apparatus than a person. His death underscores the fragility of life and the arbitrary nature of death in the hospital, a microcosm of the war outside.