Character Analysis
Bombs Away
Poor Sergeant Hardy is an example of bad things happening to good people even when the world is supposed to be at peace. He's a good person—he rescues Hana she wanders into the mined road for Jan's bracelet. Then he hangs around the monastery being charming and harmless, and helps keep Kip calm when he defuses a bomb.
Hardy goes to town to celebrate when the war is over, but even though the war is over there will still be casualties. Hardy climbs a statue to put up the Union Jack, and the statue, which is booby-trapped, explodes. Hardy's death pushes Kip into a depression, and he eventually leaves the monastery because of it.
Although Hardy is a good person, his putting the Union Jack on the statue is a problem in the world of The English Patient, which shows the dangers of ownership. Hardy tries to "claim" an Italian statue in the name of Britain, and it ends up being fatal.