# Way of a Rebel explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Walter M. Miller Jr..

## What happens

Mitch Laskell deserts the Navy, fleeing in a stolen submarine after a crisis of conscience about the destructive nature of the war. He grapples with his love for technological civilization and his rejection of a conflict that threatens to annihilate industry and humanity's tools. Despite orders and threats from his commanders, he resolves to escape to a remote part of the world, rationalizing his rebellion as a declaration of independence.

## Themes in this chapter

### War and Destruction

Mitch's desertion is driven by his horror at a war that threatens to destroy industry and civilization itself, not just human lives.

### Technology and Regression

Mitch struggles with his dependence on technology, realizing that abandoning civilization for a primitive life would be like 'cutting off his arm.'

### Identity and Belonging

Mitch questions his place in society and his identity as a sailor and a member of the Navy, ultimately choosing to become an outcast.

## Character check-ins

### Mitch Laskell

Protagonist who deserts the Navy, steals a submarine, and reflects on his motives and the nature of war.

### Captain Barkley

Mitch's commanding officer who issues warnings and orders over the radio, trying to recall him.

## Key lines

> Living in society, a man must submit to its will, but now I am divorced from it, and I shall live apart from it if I live at all, and I shall owe it nothing.

Mitch declares his independence from society, vowing to live outside its rules and owe it no allegiance.

_This encapsulates Mitch's rebellious decision to desert and become a fugitive._

> A war that killed human beings might be tolerable, if it left most of civilizations’ industry intact... But a war that wrecked industry... that kind of war was insufferable.

Mitch distinguishes between wars that only kill people and those that destroy civilization's technological base, finding the latter unbearable.

_This reveals Mitch's core motivation: he values the tools and industry of civilization more than the political conflict._

> It takes a lot of courage to be a coward, but the word coward made him wince.

Mitch reflects that desertion requires its own kind of bravery, even as he struggles with the label of coward.

_This highlights Mitch's internal conflict and his attempt to reframe his desertion as a principled act._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_57_se/chapters/way-of-a-rebel
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_57_se/chapters