The Foxhole

In the symbol of "Fire," we asked you to reverse your expectations: you might expect "fire" to be terrifying, but in Code Talkers fires are warm and cozy symbols of family love. Do the same with "foxhole," but instead of thinking of widdle baby foxes in a cozy den think of… terrified Marines sleeping in mud-pits during wartime.

For much of his time in the Pacific, Chester is cooped up in a foxhole (a hole dug in the ground that soldiers take cover in to stay safe from enemy fire). It sure ain't comfortable in a foxhole. Chester can't stretch out. He can't stand, and there's usually at least one other person in the hole with him.

Chester's first battle duty is to dig foxholes along with Roy Begay. On his first night on Guadalcanal, Chester tells us that, "Roy and I crouched in our foxhole, side by side but facing in opposite directions […] The water crept nearly chest-high" (1.74)

Imagine spending weeks and weeks stuck in a hole like that in the ground. Doesn't sound very comfy, does it? The foxhole represents the harsh conditions that Chester and the other Marines have to live through during the war.

But on another level, the foxhole is symbolic of the friendships that Chester makes on the front. In New Caledonia, Chester remembers spending a night in a foxhole that's "three feet deep and four feet wide" (11. 41) with Roy Begay.

Ugh. That's cramped. But he also says:

I liked knowing Roy was there. Partnering with my roommate from Tuba City was good, when everything else was foreign. It was tough sleeping in a semisitting position. (11.41)

So even though it isn't very comfortable, the foxhole allows Chester to get close (and we mean really close) to his buddies. It's symbolic of how tight the Marines become.