Respect

"It was more than mockery. There was a formality to it, like a funeral without the sadness" (page 227). O' Brien says this when talking about how the other soldiers shook hands and proposed toasts to the dead. When I first read this, my thought were similar to those of O' Brien. I thought what they were doing was mocking the dead. I viewed their greetings and toasts as disrespectful like Kiowa said. However, O' Brien explains that disrespect was not the reason he refused to join them. O' Brien refused because seeing the body reminded him of someone from the past. In addition, O' Brien also says what they were doing was more than mockery. In a way, their actions were more like a funeral. They were toasting to the dead man's family, ancestors, and new found life after death. What they were doing could be considered disrespectful. On the other hand, it could also be considered respectful.