No one liked Captain Queeg. He was petty, egotistical, and quick to blame others for his many mistakes. As Captain of the USS Caine, he frequently verbally abused the men under his command, often for trivial incidents.
Most of his officers disliked him and some viewed him as unbalanced and paranoid. When the Caine began to tip dangerously during a Pacific typhoon, Captain Queeg faltered and froze. First Officer Steve Maryk seized command during the storm, knowing he would face a court-martial and charges of mutiny when the ship returned to port.
Herman Wouk's 1952 novel "The Caine Mutiny" explores this fictional incident, including the events leading up to the mutiny and its aftermath.
Wouk explores the stress of the ship's crew, much of it caused by Captain Queeg's erratic behavior. The typhoon incident was not an isolated event. Queeg made many mistakes and focused on trivial matters to the detriment of the ship's welfare and his men's welfare. But the question arises: Do these shortcomings make him unfit to command? Did they justify Maryk's actions?
A court-martial trial addresses these questions - a trial that takes up much of the novel.
This book is a slow burn, taking its time to reveal the characters, their growth, their flaws, and their realizations. The sailors see World War II from their perspective aboard a dilapidated, little-used minesweeper under the command of an incompetent micromanager. Instead of filling his story with thrilling battle scenes, Wouk reveals the emotions of those living on the fringes of the war.
Wouk weaves an excellent story with masterful character development.
The story is bookended by the misadventures of Willie Keith, an upper-class young man who served as an Ensign aboard the Caine and supported Maryk's decision. Keith enlisted to avoid the Army's draft and to avoid deciding on his love for a nightclub singer from a working-class family of immigrants. Willie's experience in the Navy forces him to grow up and take control of his life. He is a different man after his time at sea.
In contrast, intellectual writer Thomas Keefer reveals severe character flaws when placed at risk, denying all responsibility despite encouraging Maryk to question Queeg's authority.
Initially, Keith finds Queeg's disciplinarian approach a refreshing change from the lackadaisical attitude of the ship's previous captain. Maryk defends Queeg initially, scolding sailors and officers who mock him. But soon, both recognize the deficiencies in the new captain's leadership style and lose respect for their commander.
The author also gives us Barney Greenwald, the disillusioned lawyer who ends up defending Maryk despite disagreeing with him.
"The Caine Mutiny" is an examination of life aboard a ship during wartime, a study in psychology, a coming-of-age story, a development of characters, a critique of class in America, a look at the limits of authority, and a legal drama. It has held up well over the years because it succeeds at all these.