The work shows a man in the act of destroying himself by plunging a sword into his body. The upright figure’s torso and knees are structured into cubistic planes which are almost evocative of a knight’s armour. The machine aesthetic of this work could refer to the anxieties of the Vietnam War and the Cold War with its threat of a nuclear catastrophe. This sculpture suggests a resemblance to the style of Vorticism, a literary and artistic movement that flourished in Britain between 1912 and 1915. It is reminiscent of the Rock Drill (1913-1914) by British sculptor Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), who had such an enduring influence on Wald.