The Caine Mutiny

THE CAINE MUTINY
by Herman Wouk

 Award: Pulitzer Winner 1952

 Nomination: National Book Finalist 1952

 Date Read: August 6, 2016

 The Caine Mutiny is yet another war saga set during WWII. I thought going into this that I would get through it but not enjoy it and I was very, very wrong. The characters in this novel I loved to hate.

 Told through the eyes of Willie Keith, a ne'er-do-well Ensign aboard the USS Caine, Keith doesn't take his duties or much else very seriously. The USS Caine's leadership is soon replaced by the very strict Lt. Commander Queeg, a stark contrast to the former lackadaisical commander, however, Queeg quickly proves to be deeply flawed. The crew increasingly distrust and disrespect him and Queeg deliberately isolates himself in his quarters. After numerous instances of cowardice, coercion and ineptitude, one of the officers begin circulating the idea that Queeg may be mentally ill. 

 In a critical scene during a typhoon, Queeg is paralyzed by inaction and Officer Maryk relieves Queeg of his duties and takes the helm of the ship. He is subsequently court-martialed during which Queeg is subjected to intense scrutiny in cross-examiniation and he buckles under the pressure. Maryk is acquitted. 

 At this point in the novel, I was cheering the verdict and the actions of the crew for having done the right thing. Yet, at the party celebrating the acquittal, Lt. Greenwald, the attorney appointed to defend Maryk makes a speech that, for me, cast the entire ordeal in a different light and caused my reader brain shame. This was a brilliant plot twist by Wouk and I applaud him his ability to seduce the reader into loathing, a sense of justice and then turning the tables to show an aspect of a situation that is not immediately apparent. I was truly in awe of this masterful manipulation.

 Looking Forward: Marjorie Morningstar, War & Remembrance

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