One hesitates to say this of a Jewish novelist--and I think it is fair to say that Wouk trades upon his religious background for his novels--but The Caine Mutiny has always struck me as somehow fascistic. For most of the book (and movie) the story seems like a pretty straightforward riff on Mr. Roberts (read Orrin's review): in this case, of course, it's Captain Queeg (even the name seems intended to invoke memories of Moby Dick) who is mentally unbalanced and, unlike Captain Morton in Mr. Roberts, his seeming derangement is genuinely dangerous because the boat he commands is a mine sweeper rather than a transport ship. Wouk carefully lays the groundwork so that we understand and sympathize with the crew's eventual mutiny. Then, presto-chango, he whips the rug from beneath our feet: "Course I'm warped," said Greenwald, "and I'm drunk,
but it suddenly seems to me that if I wrote a
He actually said "offensh." His speech was halting
and blurry. He was gripping the spilling glass
"Well, sure, you guys all have mothers, but they
wouldn't be in the same bad shape mine would if
The faces looking up at him were becoming sober and
puzzled. "I'm coming to Old Yellowstain.
"Yes, even Queeg, poor sad guy, yes, and most of
them not sad at all, fellows, a lot of them sharper
Suddenly, we are asked to accept the notion that Queeg is actually somehow the hero of the story. He after all has made a career of the Navy, while most of the crew are mere dilettantes who only signed up to fight the War. Willie Keith, in a letter home to his girlfriend, sums up what the whole episode has taught him: The idea is, once you get an incompetent ass of a
skipper--and it's a chance of war--there's nothing
This is truly astounding; from this kind of demand for blind obedience to authority it is a pretty short step to the pleas of Nazi war criminals that they were merely following orders. With all due respect to the many wonderful men and women who serve our country during peacetime, it is, and always has been, the case that except in times of war, America allows it's Armed Services to rot on the vine. They are typically, as now, underpaid, poorly equipped and inadequately trained. It is almost inevitable that very few of the best and the brightest will be drawn to serve in such an unrewarding profession; we're extraordinarily lucky that so many able folk do serve despite all the drawbacks. But it is not merely a "chance of war" that there will be some incompetent officers, it is an inescapable function of the low quality of the careerists. This doesn't matter much in a country at peace; they just can't do that much damage. But during wartime, they are a threat to themselves, to the men they command, and quite possibly to the entire war effort. Regardless of the suspect motivations of some of the men of the Caine, the suggestion that Queeg should have been left in command borders on the ludicrous. Ultimately, this is a chilling novel. Even supposing that it's viewpoint represents what would be best for military disciple and the efficient functioning of a war effort, it is completely incompatible with the idea of a democracy and with the concept of personal responsibility. (Reviewed:) Grade: (D+) Tweet Websites:See also:Sea StoriesAnthony Burgess : 99 Best Modern Novels (1934-84) Library Journal: Top 150 of the Century Pulitzer Prize (Fiction) -REVIEW ESSAY: Marjorie Morningstar: The conservative novel that liberal feminists love (Alana Newhouse, Sept. 14, 2005, Slate) Book-related and General Links: -Herman Wouk (1915-) (kirjasto) -WOUK, HERMAN. The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition. 2000 -ESSAY: A Faithful Adaptation (Herman Wouk, NY Times Book Review) -EXCERPTS: Excerpts from: THE CAINE MUTINY (a novel) THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL (a play) Herman Wouk -ESSAY: The Jew as Patriot: Herman Wouk and American Jewish Identity (Edward S. Shapiro, American Jewish History 84.4 (1996) -ESSAY: Wouk and remembrance (Elaine Margolin, Book) -EXCERPT: THE ORGANIZATION MAN, by William H. Whyte Chapter 19, Love That System -REVIEW: of INSIDE, OUTSIDE. By Herman Wouk (Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, NY Times) -REVIEW: of INSIDE, OUTSIDE By Herman Wouk (James Michener, NY Times Book Review) Comments:reading one of the comments i noted a fellow made reference to having served on the uscgc gresham in 1955. i also happened to have served on the uscgc greshem in 1955 and particularly on its escort of the trans pacific yacht race from long beach, ca. to honolulu starting july 4 of that year. i wonder if we served at the same time during that year and if you might provide me his name/address/e-mail. many thanks. gary h. boyd, scottsdale, arizona - gary h boyd, yn3, uscg 1955 - Oct-28-2004, 19:44 ******************************************************* Your review was kind of interesting. Of course Queeg had to be relieved during the typhoon otherwise, in the judgment of Maryk (no psychiatrist, but the best seaman on the ship) the Caine might well have gone down. And the novel does seem to endorse blind obedience to authority. Willy's musings about bearing up and supporting a stupid and neurotic captain are no answer at all. No amount of propping Queeg up would have prevented his handling of the ship during the typhoon. I've always thought that Willie's saying that "it's a chance of war" referred to his and the crew's particular burden of having to serve under Queeg, not meant as a comment on a systemic default. Willie wasn't that smart. The "bait and switch" technique that Wouk uses towards the end, I think, is one of the reasons why the novel remains fascinating. It leaves readers with an arguable proposition. If Queeg's ruin had been treated as justified, the novel would have been another humanistic tract, with a clear set of villains and heroes, similar to but better than the kind of story Tom Keefer might have written. There's another reason too for its continued popularity -- if it is in fact still popular -- and that is its effective capturing of quotidian details of shipboard life. (The things the ship's laundry does to your uniforms, and so forth.) Wouk's got it down pat. Every time I read the book I'm Twilight Zoned back to 1955 when I was a sailor on the USCGC Gresham. At the same time, Wouk is unable to get inside the enlisted men. All of them are selfish, stupid, and constantly compared to animals. He has no idea what to do with them except to have them serve as pawns in the dynamics of the wardroom. The movie, which I reviewed at www.imdb.com, is a typical Hollywoodization of a good story, cheapening it and turning it into a cartoon.
- Robert Maxwell - May-26-2004, 17:53 ******************************************************* |
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