as Sgt. Marx learns that he has more in common with Grossbart, he puts his intuition on the back burner and allows himself to be persuaded by Grossbart. It starts with Grossbart requesting Friday night off to attend synagogue in lieu of the usual “GI Party” where recruits are expected to clean their bunker in preparation for Saturday bunk checks. Sgt. Marx eventually comes to the conclusion that the Jewish men should have the same right to practice their faith as do the Christians. From this point forward, the reader begins to witness a sort of friendship developing between Sgt. Marx, Grossbart, and the Jewish men. It is evident that Sgt. Marx feels like a father to the boys when he hears the unfortunate news that “his boys” will be deployed to the Pacific. This relationship is quickly destroyed when Sgt. Marx finds out that the boys lied about Passover and did not actually use their weekend passes to see relatives; the feeling of betrayal and eventual disdain for Grossbart proves that Sgt. Marx is primarily a human being before a sergeant or a Jew.

As a sergeant, Marx is concerned with treating all recruits fairly and keeping order on behalf of the military. Grossbart tests the boundaries of Sgt. Marx when he first requests Friday night off to attend synagogue, to which Sgt. Marx replies, “That’s not the army’s problem, Grossbart. It’s a personal problem…” By this statement, Sgt. Marx demonstrates the boundary between personal life and military life. Sgt. Marx must fulfill his duties as sergeant and comply with military policies, despite how he feels about a topic or how he identifies with an issue. Essentially, Sgt. Marks understands that he must do what is best for all soldiers without allowing his emotions to interfere. Finally, Grossbart is granted a weekend pass to see his family and upon returning, he questions his deployment to the Pacific. Upon begging him to change the orders, Sgt. Marx replies, “If your orders are for the Pacific, then it’s the Pacific." At this point, it appears that Sgt. Marx has been fed up with allowing his kind human nature to overpower his duty as a sergeant in the military. Throughout “Defender of the Faith," Sgt. Marx walks a fine line between human, Jew, and sergeant, but in the end realizes he absolutely cannot defy the orders bestowed upon him by the Army.

As a Jewish man, Sgt. Marx identifies with Grossbart, Halpern, and Fishbein’s desire to uphold their religious beliefs despite their obligation to fall in line with the uniform structure of the military. Grossbart’s passion for his faith inspires Sgt. Marx to reminisce and rekindle his own Jewish beliefs with a fondness that had been displaced during his career in the Army. Sgt. Marx begins this journey by attending shul and using Yiddish terms. Sgt. Marx eventually grants all three boys a weekend pass when Grossbart insists that he attend his aunt’s Seder, a traditional Passover dinner. When Grossbart offers to return with some gefilte fish, Sgt. Marx happily accepts the gesture. Once Grossbart returns with an egg roll instead of the gefilte fish, Sgt. Marx realizes that Grossbart was never passionate about the Jewish faith, but rather exploiting Sgt. Marx’s sensitivity to his own faith to gain special privilege within the military.

Upon learning of Grossbart’s exploitation not only of the Jewish faith, but also of Sgt. Marx as a human being, Sgt. Marx decides to order Grossbart to deploy to the Pacific. Throughout the story, Grossbart continuously pushes, prods, and persuades Sgt. Marx to provide special privileges to him and his friends. This causes Sgt. Marx internal conflict and, oftentimes, to question his role as sergeant, including his ability to remain just and fair. In the end, Grossbart takes advantage of Sgt. Marx on every level; human, sergeant, and fellow Jew. This not only compromises Sgt. Marx’s view of himself but also makes him feel swindled and duped by Grossbart. In the end, by sending Grossbart to the Pacific, Sgt. Marx is reclaiming his identity as a compassionate human being, a diligent sergeant, and a defender of the Jewish faith.