The Caine Mutiny, by Herman Wouk, follows one man from officer training to the end of his wartime assignment aboard a WWII Naval vessel. The despotism of the monstrous little captain he serves under is fascinating: wondering what depths he would next stoop to kept me turning pages pretty rapidly.
The main character's development is really the point of the book. In the beginning he's just an average guy; which is to say, he's rather a rat. For the greater part of 576 pages I didn't like the guy at all, but in the end, he surprised me.
I've always assumed the idea that the military turns a boy into a man was a myth propagated by recruiters. If I'm wrong, as The Caine Mutiny--if it is at all factual--would indicate, then the conflict in Iraq might not be a bad investment.
Published in 1951, the story seemed dated at the beginning, but once the action was underway, I didn't notice. FYI: if the book were a movie it would merit an R rating for profanity.
No comments:
Post a Comment