The Naked and the Dead focuses on both war and peace as its narrative moves back and forth between the battle on Anopopei and the lives of many of the men prior to the war. The reader is able to discern how the war has changed the lives of these men and the ones that they have left behind in the United States. In a war novel, it makes sense that the theme of victimization would be a recurring one throughout the story. On the island, General Cummings and Sergeant Croft are victimizers; they are so insecure and power-hungry that they will risk the lives of their men to insure their absolute power. This results in the victimization of their men and ultimately causes the death of some.

The brilliant and ruthless General Cummings exercises a tyrannical control over his men. He maintains:

There's one thing...