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Jon Pinon

6/8/12

“Bridge on the River Kwai” Essay

Modern World istory

!avid "ean#s “Bridge on the River Kwai” is $ertainly not yo%r ty&i$al war story'

(or it tells a tale o( so%l)$r%shing wor* +eing a&&lied to a s&e$i(i$ tas*' only (or it to +e

de$i,ated in the end- "ed +y .olonel i$holson 0le$ %inness3' a large gro%& o( war

 &risoners are (or$ed to $onstr%$t a &er(e$t +ridge over the Kwai River %nder the wat$h(%l

eye o( .olonel 4aito 04ess%e aya*awa3- 5he PWs are restri$ted to the Ja&anese Wor*.a,& 716' re&resented at the +eginning o( the ,ovie with a s,all +%rial gro%nd whi$h

sy,+olies the gr%eling $onditions- E9tre,e heat was end%red' as $o%ld +e $learly noted

(ro, the soldiers# sweat and red s*in in the +eginning- 5he Ja&anese (elt no need (or the

installation o( (en$ing and sentry &osts' +eing that the wor* $a,& was lo$ated in the

,iddle o( a :%ngle and es$a&ees wo%ld ,ost li*ely &erish anyway- s &revio%sly stated' a

s,all $e,etery was &resent and showed that &revio%s &risoners had a$t%ally died (ro,

the wor*- ;%ite evidently' the si$* +ay was &lenti(%l with &eo&le who were either in:%red

on the :o+ or ailing (ro, a disease they had $ontra$ted- "a+or was ,andatory (or

 &risoners o( all ran*s< a &oli$y whi$h %&set .olonel i$holson at (irst- $$ording to the

eneva .onvention' ,ilitary o((i$ers had to +e e9e,&li(ied (ro, &arta*ing in any ,an%al

la+or' even i( they had +een ta*en as war &risoners- .olonel 4aito' on the other hand' had

no intention to s%&&ort those g%idelines and $onde,ned the o((i$ers to iron +o9es (or

their negligen$e- s history has shown' the Ja&anese +elieved strongly in a &hiloso&hy

they $alled “+%shido”' ,eaning ero toleran$e (or s%rrender or de(eat- Either o( the two

signi(ied %lti,ate (ail%re and h%,iliation in the eyes o( the Ja&anese' and so it was treated

as s%$h- 4aito' in his disg%st (or the &ro,otion o( the eneva .onvention in his $a,&'

stated “= hate the British> ?o% are de(eated' +%t have no sha,e> ?o% are st%++orn' +%t

have no &ride> ?o% end%re' +%t have no $o%rage>” With their di((eren$e in this ,atter

alone' it was o+vio%s +oth ,en stood (ir,ly +ehind their $o%ntries# &oli$ies' re(%sing to

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give in to one another- 5ho%gh i$holson is @%ite stern regarding all o( this at (irst' he

will later have a $hange o( heart-

With (%ll awareness o( the Ja&anese &hiloso&hy o( +%shido' i$holson re,ains

so,ewhat st%++orn and loo*s down %&on 4aito and his asso$iates as +ar+arians- s

o&&osed to re(%sing his :o+' tho%gh' he has now gained ,otivation to %nderta*e it and do

it &er(e$tly- e de$lares to the (ellow PWs that he wants to show the Ja&anese 0and'

te$hni$ally' the rest o( the world3 what British soldiers are $a&a+le o( a$$o,&lishing and

that they $an a$$o,&lish it with dignity' dis$i&line' and &assion- =( this ha&&ens'

 i$holson (eels' 4aito will +e a+le to see it and will (eel sha,e (or his $o%ntry#s

%n$o,&ro,ising ,ilitary way- 5his is initially not viewed as $olla+oration with the

ene,y' +eing that i$holson si,&ly wishes to dis&lay the &ride o( the British (or the

adversaries to +ehold- ne ,an' on the $ontrary' disagrees with all that and re(%ses to

stand (or it< the ,eri$an Ma:or 4hears 0Willia, olden3- Whereas .olonel i$holson is

(%eled +y &ride and .olonel 4aito stands (or the stri$t honor o( +%shido' Ma:or 4hears is a

soldier who re(%ses to give in to the o&&osition regardless o( any sort o( $ir$%,stan$es-

e (ights (or the rights o( h%,anity' in whi$h he (eels that neither 4aito or i$holson

 &ro,ote with their +elie(s- 4hears +arely ,anages to es$a&e the wor* $a,& with his li(e-

e is dis$overed near a village' ta*en to a near+y hos&ital to re$over' and re$r%ited +y a

British $o,,ando troo&- 5he goal o( the troo& is to de,olish the very +ridge that he had

on$e +een ordered to wor* on' as it wo%ld +e %sed +y the Ja&anese ar,y to invade

B%r,a- While 4hears is rel%$tant at (irst' +eing that he is not really an a$t%al o((i$er' he

soon de$ides to go thro%gh with the tas* (or two reasons- Airst' the o((i$er who $hose to

re$r%it hi, threatened to send hi, +a$* to his $o%ntry with the $harge o( i,&ersonating

an o((i$er- 5hen we have the tr%e reason< his own honor and disdain (or $on$ession to the

ene,y- 5ho%gh the o&eration $ost ,any lives 0in$l%ding his own3' 4hears a$$o,&lished

his ,ission' leaving +ehind a s$ene o( $arnage and the de,ises o( i$holson and 4aito-

t the very end' the ,edi$al o((i$er gaes at the destr%$tion and delivers the (il,#s last

words< “Madness> Madness>”