You know, the world is not the perfect place we all wish it was.
And I think most of us would readily admit, a least in the abstract, that we are imperfect too. Which is why the world is imperfect--it's made up of us imperfect people.
This drama tells the story of Captain Queeq and his officers. The first mate relieved the captain of his command in the middle of a battle in World War 2.
This story starts after all the action happened; the first mate is on trial for mutiny. The main characters are the defense lawyer and the first mate.
I am not giving anything away by saying the defense attorney was not very pleased to be given this assignment. His reluctance to do his job is paralleled by the first mate's reluctance to serve under Captain Queeq.
Of course, the resemblance of the attorney's performance in the courtroom and the mate's performance on board the ship seem at first glance entirely removed from one another.
But I think that those two are the real crux of the drama. The fact is, every one of us is often required to do things in the line of duty or work that are unpleasant. Sometimes they are possibly out and out wrong.
What do we do about that? how do we handle it with character? What is really important?
The attorney's impassioned speech at the end about his mother raised some questions that seem simple at first hearing. But when you really take them to heart, it is a tough truth.
This is a great story.
Article comments
1 - Andrew Duncalfe
I read The Caine Mutiny years ago, probably around 9th or 10th grade, and I enjoyed it enough that I tried picking up another Wouk novel- I think it was War and Remembrance- but I couldn't get into it. I should probably pick up both of them again, to revisit Mutiny and have another go at Remembrance.