IRR #1 THE CAINE MUTINY

RR #1 The Caine Mutiny

1. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk was novel published by Doubleday in 1951.

2. One of the most meaningful moments in the book is when Willie, the main character contemplates leaving the Caine, but changes his mind when his father, on his deathbed, sends him a Bible and a letter saying that he should be committed to everything he does. As a result, he decides to remain on the Caine. This moment connects to The Thing They Carried because, like Tim, Willie had second thoughts about war, but outside forces influenced him otherwise.

Captain DeVriess: Disappointed they assigned you to a minesweeper, Keith?
Ensign Willie Keith: Well, sir, to be honest, yes, sir.

Another meaningful moment is when an unexpected hurricane hits the Caine. Queeg has no idea what to do. Because of this, Maryk takes it upon himself to command the ship into safety. This is meaningful because even though he was persecuted for doing so, he realized that the lives of the men were more important than the formalities of military rank. This can be related to The Thing They Carried because he is unlike Norman Bowker. However, unlike Norman Bowker he was unable to live up to the responsibility.

Lieutenant Tom Keefer: Will you look at the man? He's a Freudian delight; he crawls with clues!

3. As a result of the war, the narrator significantly changed. He learned that class distinctions and racial prejudice are unimportant superficialities because at first he resented May, but opinion changed by the end of the book. Additionally, Willie learned that the right choices are always the hardest choices. As a result, he realizes that nice guys do finish last.

4. From this book, I learned a lot about war. It gave me a new profound, new empathetic understanding of soldiers. I realize now that the mental price of war supersedes the physical price. Additionally, and most importantly I realized that, as a soldier not only do represent your nation and its values, but you have a responsibility for yourself and for the others around you. Unfortunately, this book gave me insight on racism and how acceptable it is during wartimes.