Quote 4
"I just don't want to pray."
"Figure you don't want to make your peace if you're not ready to die?"
I smiled. I had to smile. He was right and he knew it. "Something like that."
"I know how you feel," he said. "I'm not quite ready to die either." (17.65-68)
The priest who visits, Father Santora, is pretty sympathetic of the regular, non-priest soldiers. Instead of acting like he's holier than Perry, he relates to him by talking about his own fears and how he also doesn't want to die. Definitely more relatable than "pray or else."
Quote 5
"If I pray with you, will it keep me alive?" I asked.
"No."
"What will it do for me?"
"I don't know," he said. "I think it can be comforting at times." (17.74-77)
If Father Santora had started talking to Perry about his eternal soul or damnation, do you think that strategy would have been more or less effective than his simple, honest approach?
Quote 6
I saw Brunner pocket a small statue from one of the huts. I told him about it and he gave me the finger.
"Maybe you'll be a better dude when you come back in your next life," I said. "Who knows, cockroaches might be in by then."
He took a step toward me, and Johnson—I hadn't seen him nearby—stepped next to me. Brunner looked at Johnson, then turned on his heel and walked away.
"He ain't spit," Johnson said. (9.44)
Johnson's like the silent protector. He's such a big guy that he just has to stand next to Perry to send a message. But he doesn't have to do it. He sees protecting the other black men in his platoon as part of his job—but something deeper than a job, too.