Ounk lizard

The Ounk lizard symbolizes the secret danger of Alfa's soul. The Ounk is a lizard from Alfa's home country, with "skin so delicate and pink that, even at dusk, you can see the insides of its body, its guts. The Ounk is dangerous, it pees poison" (78). Alfa is also dangerous. Though his demeanor is soft and gentle, he is a savage on the battlefield, and seeks always to remove the guts of at least one German soldier before slitting his throat. Like the Ounk, Alfa is focused on guts; as the body of the lizard has guts at the center, so too does Alfa's mind. And as the Ounk's gut releases poison, so too does Alfa's obsession with guts and throats release death.

Captain Armand

Captain Armand symbolizes the soul of mankind entirely lost to the evil of war. He relates to war as a...