A Few Good Men

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1989

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Summary

Acts Summaries & Analyses

Act I, Part 1

Act I, Part 2

Act II, Part 1

Act II, Part 2

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Uniform

The characters in A Few Good Men are members of the US military. Their uniforms symbolize their investment in the military as an institution, allowing them to visibly indicate their pride at representing the Marines or the Navy. The uniform represents the characters’ membership in the military. Civilians are not permitted to wear the uniforms, so characters from a broad ideological range are symbolically linked by sharing the same uniform. Jessup, Kaffee, Galloway, and Markinson view the world differently but are symbolically united by sharing the uniform of the US military.

While most characters wear the uniform to symbolize their membership in the institution of the military, Markinson uses it to reflect on his past. He feels guilt at his involvement in Santiago’s death, believing that his failure to push back against Jessup’s violent tactics made such a tragedy inevitable. He condemns himself for this inaction but also blames the military for its failure to provide oversight. Markinson decides to kill himself, believing that this decisive gesture is the only way to alleviate his guilt. To highlight the military’s inaction, he dresses in his full uniform before shooting himself in the head, symbolically condemning both the institution and himself. His wearing the uniform links the failures of the individual and the institution.

The Fence

The US military has a base on the island of Cuba. A fence surrounding the Guantanamo Bay base separates it from the nation of Cuba. The story is set during the 1980s, a period in which political tensions between the US and Cuba were fraught. As a result, characters that refer to the communist country of Cuba as the enemy reflect a broader sentiment felt throughout the US military. To characters like Jessup, the fence symbolizes the fine line between good and evil. Jessup views the world beyond the fence as brutal and the world inside it as good. This simple and blunt point of view is Jessup’s justification for anything he does to protect his country, and the fence symbolizes the divide. For men like Jessup, the fence is a physical reminder of how the world works within a reductionist worldview that people are either friends or enemies, good or evil, depending on which side of the fence they happen to reside.

Santiago’s problems intensify when he writes to people outside Guantanamo Bay to be transferred away from the base. He thinks he saw Dawson fire his weapon across the fence, into Cuban territory. This would be an illegal act and one which might easily have started a war between the US and Cuba. Nothing is said about what the Cubans might have done to provoke the shot, so the fence symbolizes US aggression. Dawson fired, suggesting that he was the aggressor, and defending the fence justifies any horrific acts he commits. Dawson’s crime shows how the fence has become a symbol for Jessup’s worldview and how it has spread to the rest of the Marines. They think that they must defend the fence at all costs, as it symbolizes their way of life. Defending the fence includes firing into Cuba territory and carrying out Code Reds. They justify such acts because of the shared acceptance of a simplistic worldview.

The Courtroom

The courtroom symbolizes Kaffee’s growing investment in the case. As Weinburg and his colleagues discuss at the beginning of the play, Kaffee is naturally averse to trying a case in court. He traditionally never gets to trial; he always strikes a plea bargain because it is easier, quicker, and requires less work. Kaffee’s absence from the court represents his attitude towards everything, always selecting the easiest option. However, his aversion and attitude change once he’s assigned to defend Downey and Dawson. Though he tries to make a plea deal and even excuse himself from the case, Kaffee becomes increasingly committed to defending the Marines and extracting a confession from Jessup. Eventually, his presence in the court shows that he’s changed. Kaffee’s participation in the courtroom proceedings symbolizes his renewed dedication to justice and his change in attitude.

As well as functioning as an important symbol for the individual, the court symbolizes institutional justice. The trial is an attempt to find the person responsible for the murder of Private Santiago; justice isn’t necessarily Dawson and Downey walking free but is more focused on challenging whether people should question immoral orders. Dawson and Downey were directly involved in Santiago’s death, and this fact is never questioned. Instead, the court seeks to find justice in discovering whether the men were following orders. Eventually, Jessup confesses to issuing the order for the Code Red, which results in his arrest. Meanwhile, the court dishonorably discharges the two junior Marine officers. The court’s symbolic gesture shows that the men weren’t in the right; while exculpating them from the main crime, the court’s ruling clearly indicates that it doesn’t condone their behavior. The court, the trial, and the verdict symbolize justice and the struggle to find a meaningful resolution. The court represents the pursuit of institutional justice, which is rarely simple.