Big dreams
A character who has big dreams in the novel is Berlin who above everything, wants to one day be recognized for his actions and be awarded a star for his efforts. Despite his desire, Berlin remains generally unknown to his commanders and when he goes to talk with them, they don’t even recognize him.
Spoke too soon
In Cacciato’s former squad, one of the former members distinguishes himself as being the one who underestimated Cacciato the most. Ironically, that same member is the one who trips over a fake booby-trap left begin by Cacciato, proving that the one who is dumb is not Cacciato, but the soldier himself for underestimating one of his fellow soldiers.
No idea what is happening
The person who controls the third squad and who gives its orders is Lieutenant Carson, an old and sickly man, affected by dysentery. Ironically however, the man who was supposed to be in charge and the man who was supposed to be a leader, had no idea who he was or where he was most of the time. Affected by his illness and by the things he had to go through, Carson has a hard time keeping the squad together and making sure that everyone does what they were supposed to do.
Not so dumb
The reader is left with the impression that the other soldiers in the squad think that Cacciato is dumb and quite mentally retarded. Despite this, the other soldiers and the lieutenant are unable to catch him. In fact, he seems to always be one step ahead of his former squad. This is ironic when taking into consideration the way he is perceived as the others.
Bored to death
The thing the vast majority would associate with war is a constant sense of danger and the idea of fighting for one’s life. What some don’t realize is that being a soldier doesn’t mean being involved in battles 24 hours per day and that the vast majority of the time is spent waiting around. In this sense, a soldier’s life is seen as sometimes being boring. Berlin also notes this in an ironic tone when he remembers that the first thing he was thought to da was not how to fire a gun but how to survive the boredom that comes with being a soldier.
