Beware of the Dog

While the nurse, the doctor, and Wing Commander Roberts all serve essential roles in the story, none of these characters have much depth; their inner worlds are not explored, as the narrative focuses solely on Peter Williamson’s perspective and his inner journey. The depiction of these three characters is limited to brief dialogue and Peter’s observations. The Nurse, the Doctor, and Wing Commander Roberts can be considered the story’s antagonists. Taken together, they represent the looming antagonist of the Axis powers—and, more abstractly, the untrustworthy nature of institutional forces. While all three characters are depicted as outwardly friendly and professional, their demeanors are at odds with their hidden, strategic, and antagonistic motives.

Of these three antagonists, the nurse is the only one whose characterization shifts throughout the story. This is not because she evolves as a character but because Peter’s perception of her changes. Initially, Peter is not very observant of her and only takes note that “[s]he was not good-looking, but she was large and clean. She was between thirty and forty and she had fair hair” (153). In her interactions with Peter, the nurse is polite and helpful, though slightly dismissive. Her minimization of Peter’s injury mirrors his own flippant attitude during the opening paragraphs of the story. At first, this downplaying seems to be a benign attempt to cheer Peter up. “That’s nothing,” she says of his severed leg: “We’ll get you another one” (153). However, her dismissiveness later solidifies into gaslighting, as she denies Peter’s comments about the JU-88s: “I hope you don’t still think we’re being bombed,” she says to him (156). Toward the end of the story, once Peter realizes he is in occupied territory, he finally observes the nurse more closely. He notices that her mannerisms are “too sharp and nervous to go well with the casual manner in which she spoke” (162). At this point, the nurse’s character is revealed to be more complex than initially assumed. Her purpose is not simply to heal Peter but to render him healthy enough to give up vital military information, all without letting him grasp the truth of where they are.

Like the nurse, the doctor is initially characterized as friendly and polite. He also provides colorful details to Peter that he later learns must not be true: “‘By the way,’ he said, ‘some of the lads from your squadron were ringing up and asking about you. They wanted to come along and see you, but I said that they’d better wait a day or two’” (154). Peter only interacts with the doctor for a short portion of the story, and the doctor’s role as a character is largely symbolic. Along with the nurse, he represents the institution of the hospital, which is traditionally considered trustworthy and benevolent but turns out to be dishonest and sinister.

Peter’s interaction with Wing Commander Roberts is similarly brief. However, this exchange carries the most weight in the story because, by this point, Peter has realized that the other characters’ goals are not what they appear to be. Wing Commander Roberts is not on his side. Like the nurse and the doctor, Roberts addresses Peter casually and downplays the importance of what they are about to do: “Well, let’s get this stuff over. I’m afraid you’ll have to answer a few questions so that I can fill in this combat report” (163-64). Roberts lends his deception credence by implying that a bureaucratic authority expects him to carry out this simple yet harmless task. His attitude is one of familiarity and friendliness, though this runs counter to Peter’s newly uncovered knowledge of his true agenda. This interaction serves as an opportunity for Peter to display his loyalty, and the story ends with him refusing to comply with Wing Commander Roberts’s request.