How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #13
All men reporting on sick call with temperatures above 102 were rushed to the hospital. All men reporting on sick call with temperatures below 102 had their gums and toes painted with gentian violet solution and were given a laxative to throw away into the bushes. All those reporting on sick call with temperatures of exactly 102 were asked to return in an hour to have their temperatures taken again. (4.5)
Gus and Wes's system has little to do with actual medicine. What they are doing is based on a random number – 102 – and their solution for those below 102 has nothing to do with helping the men get better. They do not even consider other symptoms besides body temperature. Their bizarre strategy and methods make the service ineffective.
Quote #14
He (Clevinger) was a militant idealist who crusaded against racial bigotry by growing faint in its presence. (8.3)
This is a way of saying that Clevinger is a coward when it comes to combating racial bigotry. The crux here is the word "crusaded," which implies a certain degree of bravery and martyrdom in pursuing one's cause.
Quote #15
"Justice?" The Colonel was astounded. "What is justice?"
"Justice, sir –"
"That's not what justice is," the colonel jeered, and began pounding the table again with his big fat hand. "That's what Karl Marx is. I'll tell you what justice is. Justice is a knee in the gut from the floor on the chin at night sneaky with a knife brought up down on the magazine of a battleship sandbagged underhanded in the dark without a word of warning. Garroting. That's what justice is when we've all got to be tough…(8.187-189)
The colonel gives a definition of justice that makes no sense and is full of violent images. The administration obviously doesn't care for any sort of equity of justice in dealing with its men. The fact that the colonel was "astounded" and questioned the meaning of justice indicates that it is not discussed very often in the administration.