The orderly’s complicity in his destruction
From the surface, the orderly appears to be a victim of the captain’s bullying. Many would argue that the high-handed captain is responsible for the orderly’s spiritual disintegration and ultimate death. Ironically, the orderly is complicit in his own destruction. After receiving the unjust mistreatment from the hands of his captain, the orderly never voiced a single complaint. He never protested against the captain’s behavior, nor did he report these unjustifiable behaviours to the captain’s superiors. The orderly could have easily brought an end to his suffering, but he continuously failed to rise to the occasion. The orderly entertained the idea of escape, but he did not attempt it. Although the orderly looks upon himself as a victim; the irony remains that he is in some extent facilitating the captain’s behavior.
The orderly adopts some attributes of the captain
The orderly and the captain are once polarized characters. The captain is known for his emotional suppression, while the orderly is known for his natural spontaneity. The two people could not have been more different. Ironically, after his repeated confrontations with the captain, the orderly came to adopt some of the character traits of his enemy. He loses his unselfconscious mind and increasingly became as self-conscious as his captain. His loses his presence of mind and became as emotionally troubled as the psychologically turbulent captain. He was no longer the carefree youth he once was. Instead, he became just as emotionally suppressive as his tormenter. Although the orderly professes to hate the captain, he had ironically fashioned himself into the captain’s image. Towards the end of the story, the orderly feels a growing identification with the mountains, a symbol associated with the captain. This indicates that in spite of himself, his character is being remolded into the captain’s image.
The captain adopts some attributes of the orderly
As discussed before, the captain and the orderly are polarized in their character. The uncompromisingly disciplined officer resents the natural spontaneity of his orderly with a vehement passion. The captain stands for unbending discipline and strict military order. He has no patience for the orderly’s autonomy and free-spirit. The very sight of the orderly’s unrestrained temperament would provoke him into a fury, because such free display of individuality is in contrary to everything the military stands for. Ironically, the captain feels a deep attraction towards the orderly’s temperament, and slowly came to adopt some of his traits for himself. After his confrontation with the orderly, the captain became more emotionally balanced and more at ease with himself. In short, he became more like his orderly. In spite of himself, the captain is fashioning himself into the image of the orderly, of which he had once professed to hate. By adopting some of the attributes he once found loathsome, the captain was able to find a new sense of emotional and physical well-being, until it was brutally interrupted by his death.
The captain resents the orderly’s presence, yet insists on his constant presence
The captain resents the orderly’s emotional equilibrium and his unrestrained temperament. The very sight of his orderly irritates him. He resents the orderly’s sureness of movement, his youthful body, his sense of autonomy. His mixed sense of attraction and jealousy towards the orderly had caused him much suffering. The captain’s resentment towards the orderly grows day by day, until it reaches the point of madness. Ironically, the more resentment the captain feels towards his orderly, the more dependent he became of him. Even though the captain could not free himself from his feelings of irritation, he could not leave the orderly alone either. He demands the orderly’s presence constantly, even though that it annoys him. The irony of captain’s behavior shows that hate is the nearest thing to love. His jealousy and attraction towards his orderly’s attributes are the source of his annoyance towards him.
The irony of the orderly’s vengeance
It is deeply ironic that a gentle and obedient youth who takes all orders for granted would one day commit a jaw-dropping act of murder. Before being bullied by the captain, the orderly was an embodiment of a dutiful servant. He knows his duty and serves his master as a matter of course. He knows his place and accepts his role as a servant without questions. After being unjustly punished, he does not put a fight for his rights. He continues to perform his duties as a servant, despite of all the suffering it entails. It is indeed ironic that this dutiful servant could be provoked into an act of murder. It is ironic that the orderly could stomach the direct forms of physical abuse from the captain, passively enduring kicking and beating, but would stoop to murder later on when the officer had already been refraining himself from fresh assaults. The irony of the orderly behavior shows that suppressed emotions have destructive potentials, and could burst into the most shocking form of violence.
