Short Fiction · Chapter
Chapter VII explained
During a heavy bombardment at Fossalta, a soldier prays desperately to Jesus for survival, promising belief and devotion.
What happens
During a heavy bombardment at Fossalta, a soldier prays desperately to Jesus for survival, promising belief and devotion. The shelling moves on, and the next day is calm. Later, back at Mestre, he does not share his prayer with a girl at the Villa Rossa, and he never tells anyone about it.
Themes in this chapter
Post-War Trauma and Alienation
The soldier's desperate prayer during battle contrasts with his later silence, illustrating the isolation and unspoken trauma of war.
War and Literary Representation
The chapter depicts the raw, personal experience of combat and the failure to articulate that experience afterward.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The soldier who prays during the bombardment and later keeps silent about his experience.
Key passages
“Oh Jesus Christ get me out of here. Dear Jesus, please get me out. Christ, please, please, please, Christ. If you’ll only keep me from getting killed I’ll do anything you say. I believe in you and I’ll tell everybody in the world that you are the only thing that matters. Please, please, dear Jesus.”
The soldier prays fervently to Jesus, promising faith and evangelism in exchange for survival.
This prayer reveals the soldier's desperation and conditional faith under fire.
“The next night back at Mestre he did not tell the girl he went upstairs with at the Villa Rossa about Jesus. And he never told anybody.”
Later, the soldier does not mention his prayer or faith to the girl he is with, and he keeps it secret forever.
The contrast between his battlefield promise and his silence afterward highlights the theme of alienation.