Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny

Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize novel The Caine Mutiny explores the inner workings of a Navy vessel, the camaraderie formed between young men, and the bureaucracy of The United States Armed Forces in the midst of World War II. The Caine Mutiny is a fictional account that was written six years after the end of World War II and is believed to be loosely autobiographical based on the author’s personal experiences aboard a vessel during his service in World War II. Following the novel’s rapid success, three years later the novel became a film. The Oscar-nominated film The Caine Mutiny was shot in the midst of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It depicts the same storyline as the novel and received raved reviews. The novel and film tell the compelling story of the protagonist’s Willie

Humphrey Bogart brought to life the role of Captain Queeg with a stunning performance as the erratic character that is high strung with severe paranoia. Robert Francis plays the protagonist role of Willie Keith. Francis portrays Willie Keith flawlessly with his depiction of Keith evolving from a young, selfish, arrogant rich boy to a man with experience, knowledge and humility. The novel and film compliment one another with each developing major emphasis on the themes of the evolution of Willie Keith, the conflicting ideologies of the men, and the stress experienced by servicemen in World War II. The Caine Mutiny is a powerful story because it accurately portrays, through Willie Keith’s perspective, what young everyday men experienced when they went into the service and the uncertainties they faced in the harsh realities of war. The Caine Mutiny is a model story of American bureaucracy and public administration. The United States Navy like most government organizations is a large government bureaucracy that can be daunting and intimidating when reprimanded or challenged. Willie Keith and his comrades’ jobs on the ship were tedious which often