What does Jim fear most?

Because Jim is on the brink of death nearly the whole time he’s in the camp, he spends a lot of time thinking about it. He becomes fascinated by the soul and when it leaves the body. Several times Jim thinks he’s already dead and is concerned that his soul hasn’t properly left his body. When he sees former prisoners scavenging and attacking people, he thinks of them as an army of dead people starting World War III. He becomes concerned that he shouldn’t be eating Spam because it shouldn’t be used to feed dead people.

Jim eventually stops fearing death and begins to desire it because it would be an end to the uncertainties of war. He admires the Chinese for understanding death is always right around the corner and to avoid it or fear it is foolish.