Loyalty

Loyalty is a prominent theme in this story. The relationships between soldiers in a divisive army regiment is the perfect setting for Keret to explore this theme. The main way in which he does this is through Stein’s defiance against the regiment’s actions and beliefs. Moreover, Keret uses this story to open a discussion about how important loyalty is versus other virtues like benevolence.

The lack of loyalty present in the Israeli army becomes evident at the beginning of the story. One example of this is when the officer of the Border Police regiment chooses Stein to be taken to join the regiment. As Stein leaves with the officer, his fellow soldiers bid him farewell with a “you-have-my-condolences face” (76). The fact that the soldiers are aware of the hellish conditions in the Border Police regiment but do nothing but make an empathetic expression shows...