The Barracks Thief: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Barracks Thief" is a poignant exploration of the lives of three young army recruits in the Eighty-second Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. The narrative centers on Lewis, who grapples with personal insecurities masked by a tough exterior, leading him to steal from his fellow soldiers in a desperate attempt to assert his masculinity. His character is marked by homesickness and a craving for acceptance, culminating in his emotional breakdown following his identification as a thief. In contrast, Philip Bishop presents a more aloof demeanor, motivated to join the military as a means of escaping his troubled family background. He seeks personal independence but struggles with feelings of betrayal when Lewis is discovered to be the thief, highlighting the complexities of camaraderie and trust in their environment. Hubbard, initially discouraged by his basic training experiences, represents the sensitive side of military life, crushingly affected by personal loss just as he becomes entwined in the thefts. The interplay between these characters encapsulates themes of masculinity, friendship, and moral conflict within the pressures of military service, ultimately leading to significant transformations in their lives. The story captures the psychological depths of its characters as they navigate the challenges of their circumstances.
The Barracks Thief: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Tobias Wolff
First published: 1984
Genre: Novel
Locale: Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Plot: Character study
Time: 1967
Lewis, a young army recruit from Lawton, Kentucky, who is training as part of the Eighty-second Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. He is one of three new soldiers chosen to guard an ammunition dump in a woods outside the fort on the Fourth of July. the soldiers are instructed by the duty officer to shoot any nonmilitary personnel who come near the dump. When the local sheriff and a civilian try to convince them to leave the dump because they are in danger from a nearby forest fire, the three soldiers, led by Lewis, dutifully chase them off at gunpoint. the act forges a bond of friendship among the three new recruits, but Lewis' macho display masks his personal insecurities. Lewis is homesick and lonely. His attempts to fit in with his fellow soldiers through brash and compulsive talk alienates those around him. He brags incessantly about his sexual prowess but is mortified when a sergeant calls him “Tinkerbell” because he cannot complete a rugged training maneuver. One night, a civilian teacher at the post tends to Lewis' wounded hand, and Lewis is disturbed by the pleasure he feels from close physical contact with the man. He decides to prove his masculinity to himself by picking up a prostitute in a local bar, but the woman humiliates him when she finds out that he does not have enough money. Lewis vows to return with the appropriate sum and the next day steals the wallet of a soldier in his barracks. the ease with which he commits the theft magnifies his contempt for his barracks mates, and he enjoys the feeling of power over them that the theft gives him. Lewis' need to steal becomes a psychologically complex compulsion. He is nearly caught taking the wallet of a soldier in the shower room and eludes capture only by punching the anonymous victim in the face. When he discovers that the man he punched was Hubbard, one of the two soldiers with whom he guarded the ammunition dump, he is struck with shame. He plans to turn over a new leaf but before he can, incriminating evidence leads to his identification as the barracks thief, resulting in his emotional breakdown and dishonorable discharge from the Army.
Philip Bishop, the most aloof and urbane of the three new recruits in the Eighty-second Airborne. He is in the Army only because the Marine recruiting station was closed the day he went to enlist. Philip enlisted to escape his broken family and rebuild his damaged self-esteem. When he was in high school, his father left his mother for another woman, and this deeply upset him. As a teenager, he vented his anger through juvenile acts of vandalism and harsh treatment of his emotionally withdrawn brother, with whom he previously enjoyed a happy relationship. He looks to the military as a means to attain personal independence and a bright future. Although he is a loner, he enjoys the camaraderie he shares with Hubbard and Lewis. He considers their standoff at the ammunition dump as a test of personal mettle that he passed, but the self-assurance it gives him is shaken by other experiences, including a confrontation with antiwar protesters outside the base and the thefts in the barracks. He feels compelled to tell Hubbard that he is not responsible for the thefts, even though no one suspects him. When Lewis is identified as the barracks thief, Philip feels betrayed and schemes with other soldiers to give him a ritual beating. He is surprised to find Hubbard contemptuous of their plan, and although the beating takes place, he does not participate. Shortly afterward, he is called up for duty in Vietnam.
Hubbard, a sensitive young man who was gulled into enlisting in the Army by a recruiter who visited his high school. He is discouraged by his experiences in basic training and frightened by the prospect of fighting in Vietnam. Initially, he is incredulous at Lewis'behavior at the ammunition dump, but he falls in with Lewis and Philip to follow orders. Shortly afterward, he is crushed to hear that the same day he was guarding the ammunition dump, his two best friends back home were killed in a drunk driving accident. He is crying in the showers over the news when Lewis steals his wallet, breaking Hubbard's nose in the process. Hubbard eventually identifies Lewis as the barracks thief after the letter his mother wrote him telling him about his friends' deaths is found in Lewis' possession. These events completely change Hubbard's outlook on life. He is called up for service in Vietnam the same day that Philip is but flees to Canada.
Guy Bishop, Philip's father, whose midlife crisis crystallizes the dissatisfaction with their traditional roles that the other meninthestoryfeel.