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The Old Commandant
The current leader of the penal colony who replaced the old Commandant. The new Commandant does not appear in the story in person, though he is clearly loathed by the officer. The new Commandant invites the explorer to view an execution during his visit to the penal colony, a move that the officer assumes is made to further devalue the old Commandant’s system of justice and the apparatus. Despite the officer’s criticisms, the new Commandant has made seemingly positive changes to the penal colony, such as holding conferences that the public can view as a way of participating in political life. The new Commandant represents a societal shift in the penal colony toward a more liberal, Western mentality further reinforced when the explorer tells the officer that he will not try to convince the new Commandant to keep using the apparatus. Even with the new Commandant’s changes, it is suggested by the prisoner and the soldier’s attempted escape at the end of the story that life on the penal colony remains unpleasant.
The New Commandant Quotes in In the Penal Colony
The In the Penal Colony quotes below are all either spoken by The New Commandant or refer to The New Commandant. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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In the Penal Colony
Quotes
“He has calculated it carefully: this is your second day on the island, you did not know the old Commandant and his ways, you are conditioned by European ways of thought, perhaps you object on principle to capital punishment in general and to such mechanical instruments of death in particular…”
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“Of course the Commandant is the kind of man to have turned these conferences into public spectacles. He has had a gallery built that is always packed with spectators. I am compelled to take part in the conferences, but they make me sick with disgust.”
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The New Commandant Quotes in In the Penal Colony
The In the Penal Colony quotes below are all either spoken by The New Commandant or refer to The New Commandant. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
In the Penal Colony
Quotes
“He has calculated it carefully: this is your second day on the island, you did not know the old Commandant and his ways, you are conditioned by European ways of thought, perhaps you object on principle to capital punishment in general and to such mechanical instruments of death in particular…”
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Of course the Commandant is the kind of man to have turned these conferences into public spectacles. He has had a gallery built that is always packed with spectators. I am compelled to take part in the conferences, but they make me sick with disgust.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
