Through the lens of Willie Keith, readers are exposed to a panoramic representation of humanities on the flaming Pacific. Readers are able to recognize Willie Keith’s growth and the obsolete destroyer-minesweeper Caine which he served during the WWII. Wouk carefully builds a detailed foundation upon the center of typhoon and Keith’s transformation as the last captain of the Caine. The life jacket incident, towline accident, lost crate of liquor, and strawberry business tastes absurdly real under Wouk’s straightforward but descriptive languages. Thus, the readers are able to empathize with the crew and understand their reasoning to mutiny. By following Queeg’s incompetence as a captain, an overemphasis on miscellaneous details, rudeness towards his subordinates and cowardice in front of the fire, Wouk quietly sets up a moral trap which is turned over by Greenwald at the post-court celebration; though Queeg is an annoying old snub, it is the soldiers’ (and sailors’) nature to obey the orders, especially during the wartime. The Navy is a crudely sophisticated war machine disciplined by inhumane regulations. Any disobedience could end up in a hazardous result, especially during the war. It also turns up that Queeg is not a total badass but a normal person who is enraged by the war. The court-martial also sets the tone to educate the readers on prejudice. There is no need to repeat my acclaim for the court-martial and Greenwald’s speech, but it is still necessary to reemphasize Wouk’s magic on 3D characterization. We are able to hate and sympathize with Queeg at the same time. Keefer is far from an evil villain who remotely controls everything. He does think of a plan to overthrow the captain, and dictate Maryk the psychological jargon “paranoid,” but also drags Maryk back when the exec officer tries to encounter Admiral Halsey. Keith’s growth is slow but traceable with the insistence from his father’s letters, mother’s words, love affair with May, and, of course, adventure on the Caine. In the end, he is the only officer among the ones who start from the beginning and closes the moving story on the Caine. But this novel is still flawed from its overabundant details from the first half and incoherent romantic plotting which shatters the solid structure. Willie’s romance is a route to his maturity but it can be done more thoroughly instead scattering around. Although complex, overall, this novel is a definite 5-star work.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Oxford Emory chapter.