Short Fiction · Character

A Mad Officer

An unstable military officer causing disruption.

minor

First appearance: short fiction

A Mad Officer shows up with force in III. The page is where that presence becomes real.

The bloodied, silent maniac who appears beside the narrator and sings to the bell.

A Mad Officer first appears in 0001 short fiction.

In III: The bloodied, silent maniac who appears beside the narrator and sings to the bell.

Later, in The Red Laugh: The narrator, a wounded officer who experiences the red laugh and descends into madness.

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Character Web

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Story tension across the book.

This is the story's dramatic climax because the narrator reaches a psychological peak of false euphoria, claim…

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A Mad Officer appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III
The bloodied, silent maniac who appears beside the narrator and sings to the bell.
The Red Laugh
The narrator, a wounded officer who experiences the red laugh and descends into madness.
Fragment I
The narrator, an officer, experiences madness and horror during the march.
Fragment XI
A prisoner who walks calmly apart from the others, showing bare hatred and despair in his black eyes. He is silent, refuses to give his name, and has attempted suicide.
Fragment XVI
A former schoolfellow of the narrator, invalided from the war and driven mad by a sudden silence after a bayonet charge. He is silent, listens constantly, and falls into epileptic fits during silence.
Chant the Second
A proud madman who praises the destruction as 'perfect order' and speaks benignly.
IV
The lunatic who plays a comedy among the ruins with the monk, speaking approvingly of 'perfect order'.

Chapter companion notes

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