The bruises on the orderly’s body
The captain inflicted many bruises on the orderly’s body. These bruises testify to the fact that the orderly had been physically violated. These bruises cause both physical and psychological suffering upon the orderly. They are a constant reminder of his mistreatment at the hands of the captain. These bruises haunt him and give him no peace. The orderly is acutely conscious to the fact that his essence had been violated and ravished by the captain. The orderly longs to put this traumatic event behind him. He is unable to do so because the bruises constantly remind him of his traumatic experience. The orderly is deeply troubled by his bruises. The mere sight of his bruises would send him into a nervous breakdown. He does not want anyone to witness his bruises, for he does not want anyone to know what transpired between him and the captain. The bruises are inflicted upon his person after a close physical encounter between him and the captain, and thus they implied a degree of intimacy between them. In an age when homosexual intimacy is stigmatized by society, the physical testimony of his violated body must be hidden from the world. The innocent orderly could not come to terms with the fact his physical essence had been violated by another man. The very thought of it revolts him.
The orderly’s body
The orderly’s body is given a detailed description because it is the source of the captain’s fascination and irritation. The orderly is a fetching youth who possesses handsome limbs, swarthy flesh, beautiful dark eyes, strong shoulders and shapely hands. The attractiveness of his physical attributes is not lost to the captain. The captain’s presence of mind was lost the moment when he became conscious of the orderly’s handsome presence. He became increasingly obsessive towards the orderly’s body, his sureness of movement and his unrestrained behaviour. The orderly’s physical presence affects the captain profoundly. The captain’s attraction and envy towards the orderly’s person is obvious. The orderly’s youthful figure reminds the captain of the youth he had lost. The orderly’s instinctive sureness of movement reminds the captain of what he could have been if not he had not allowed his military life to crush his true spirit. It is possible that the orderly’s physical presence reminds the captain of his former self, before it had been brutally remolded and integrated into military life.
The captain’s physical description
The captain’s physiognomy is the polarized opposite of the orderly’s. The captain is defined by knitted brows, hostile eyes, and a rigid body. There is a “cold fire” in his eyes and a constant tension about his person. We can already get an idea of the captain’s character through his physical appearance. He is someone who is waging a war within himself, in attempts to suppress his feelings and emotions. The role of a military officer did not come easy to him; it requires a constant struggle with his natural spirit. The profound inner tension of the captain shows that his emotional suppression has not come without a price. The high level of tension inside of him invests an arrogant coldness about his person. His tense brows and his rigid body suggest the fact that he rules his body with as much vigour as he rules his soldiers. His outward façade as a disciplined, no nonsense officer is not natural to him, it is a social construction which requires great inner strength and considerable emotional suppression.
The kicking scene
The scene in which the orderly is kicked by the captain is one of the most graphic scenes of the story. In the scene, the orderly is kicked again and again from behind. The pots in his hands came streaming down the stairs. This scene is vital to the story because it marks the moment when the sanctity of the orderly’s body was violated. The captain’s kicking can be seen as a pseudo rape of the orderly’s body. From this moment, the orderly could never return to his former self. The protective wall of his innocent unselfconsciousness was breached for good. He was ashamed and mortified by this sudden and unexpected violation of his body. Despite of the orderly’s aloofness and his impersonal attitude towards the captain, he was forced to experience an intimate physical encounter with him. After experiencing the intimacy of this violent encounter, the nature of their relationship had changed forever. They could not bring about a reconciliation, nor could they return to the impersonal, neutral relationship they once had. The kicking scene marks the moment of no return.
The captain’s gaze
The captain’s gaze is powerful and often charged with strong emotions. Whenever he casts his gaze upon his orderly, it is more of an irritated glare than a neutral glance. It is through his gaze that the officer is made conscious of the orderly’s attractive physical presence. After being repeatedly gazed at, the orderly’s emotional equilibrium is shaken. He is acutely consciously of the captain’s gaze and is keen to avoid eye contact with him. In literary tradition, the object of the gaze is often devoid of agency and power. In this story, the orderly is always the object of the captain’s gaze. The orderly is profoundly troubled by the officer’s gaze because it is unsolicited and uninvited. Towards the end of the story, the orderly experiences a painful disintegration under the intensity of the captain’s gaze. The captain’s gaze is a violation upon the orderly’s essence. By repeatedly describing the orderly as the object of the gaze, his role as a vulnerable victim is made increasingly clear.
