William Friedkin's 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' (2023). [Movie Still Cut] 

Novelist Kim Gyu-na revisited the novel 'The Caine Mutiny' for the 300th episode of 'A World Like a Novel'.

The novel 'The Caine Mutiny' (1954), which first gained recognition for us through its film adaptation, is based on Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize-winning work. 

The Mastermind Behind the Mutiny, 'The Shakespeare of the Caine'

During World War II, Captain Queeg, newly assigned to the U.S. Navy minesweeper Caine, torments the crew with his obsessive and unreasonable discipline. One stormy day, Captain Queeg loses his composure and puts the ship in danger, prompting Executive Officer Maryk to relieve him of command.

As a result of this incident, Maryk and the officers who sided with him are brought before a court-martial. Their defense attorney, Greenwald, exposes Captain Queeg's unstable mental state and argues that the mutiny was justified.

Meanwhile, Captain Tom Keefer in the novel is known as 'The Shakespeare of the Caine.' He serves as the communications officer and is deeply engrossed in writing his novel.

Keefer, an intellectual, constantly mocks Captain Queeg and incites Executive Officer Maryk to document the captain's paranoid behavior. In essence, the true instigator of the mutiny on the ship was Keefer, filled with literary ambition.

Author Kim Gyu-na mentioned that she could not obtain a translated version of the novel and instead included excerpts of dialogue from the 1954 edition and the 2023 remake featuring the lawyer Greenwald.

"You're not working with the captain because you like him. You're working with him because he's the captain. Queeg shouldn't have been captain, but his subordinates also ruined him. But the trial is over. Everyone is safe. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. There's really someone else who should be on trial.

The greatest writer of the Caine, the Shakespeare of the Caine. You hated the Navy from the start. Then you thought of all this. And you meticulously covered your own tracks. Maryk will be remembered as a mutineer, but you will publish your novel, make a million dollars, and marry a movie star.

Live well with your conscience for the rest of your life. If you have a conscience, that is. Cheers to the true author of the Caine mutiny!"

"Thirty-One Stars Disappeared, Even Though It Wasn't War"

On the 19th, the court sentenced former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun to 30 years in prison and former Republic of Korea Army Intelligence commander Noh Sang-won to 18 years in prison.

From left, former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, former Army Intelligence commander Noh Sang-won, and Intelligence commander Moon Sang-ho. [Photo = Yonhap News]

Author Kim stated, "A total of 180 military personnel have been referred for investigation or disciplinary action due to their direct or indirect involvement in the 'rebellion' stemming from the responsibility for December 12th. Among them, 35 military personnel, including 16 dismissed or removed generals, have been disciplined or have left the military."

The reason, as everyone knows, is that "they were acting under orders from the supreme commander and moving according to the chain of command."

Furthermore, Author Kim summoned the "current Minister of National Defense from a defense background" and criticized his argument that "only through such a brutal purge can a 'military coup' or the 'tragedy of Gwangju' be prevented."

Author Kim Gyu-na remarked, "It's as if 31 stars fell at once," and called it a "declaration of the dissolution of the military." She further stated:

"Even during wartime, it is rare for so many generals to disappear at once. This is not a mere personnel reshuffle. It is an act of punishing those who did not defy the orders given by the head of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. In other words, the law and the state are encouraging soldiers to judge for themselves whether their superior's orders are just, and to disobey if they have doubts."

Author Kim argued that the moment the principle of "subordination to superiors" (상명하복), which is the lifeblood of the military, is dismissed as "complicity in rebellion," the military ceases to be a military, citing the example of the Caine.

In other words, 'The Caine Mutiny' testifies to how the essence of a military organization is destroyed the moment disobedience appears justifiable. She pointed out, "Can a soldier who has to recall court precedents before the commander's orders put their life on the line and advance on the battlefield?"

"Maryk, who rebelled against the captain, was acquitted. As everyone celebrates victory and raises their glasses, the defense attorney Barney Greenwald, who defended Maryk and led them to victory, stumbles into the party. Instead of rejoicing, he pours cold drinks on the faces of the victors with a cold sneer."

Greenwald was ashamed of his decision to "sacrifice Captain Queeg out of necessity to save Maryk, who had unjustly taken on the sins of others."

Whose Hand is Shaking the Military?

Author Kim Gyu-na stated that in the extreme situation of a typhoon, the driving force behind Maryk's seizure of command from the captain was not Queeg's incompetence but the "illusion of a mad captain" meticulously crafted by Keefer. She highlighted the fact that "even if the captain was incompetent and a paranoid patient, intellectuals like Keefer mocked and were cynical from behind, shaking the military hierarchy while he was defending the country at sea."

Posters for 'The Caine Mutiny' from 1954 (left) and 2023.

Author Kim asks:

"To the 'true authors of rebellion' who, like Keefer who meticulously planned and executed Captain Queeg's downfall, hide behind the scenes, mock and destroy the military, believing only they are righteous. Do the judges and politicians who punish soldiers who followed the chain of command without disobeying orders, and force them to leave the military, possess any conscience that feels even a minimum of apology and shame?"

She further laments, "In a country where refusing orders is considered a virtue, on whose conscience should the security of that nation be entrusted?"

Finally, Author Kim pointed out, "We must painfully reflect on the meaning of the drink spilled by Greenwald at the party where everyone was celebrating victory. Where the military hierarchy has collapsed, not peace, but only immense chaos and ruin awaits."

Wake up, individual!

Arise, free Republic of Korea!

Author Kim Gyu-na serializes 'A World Like a Novel' exclusively on Facebook. The subscription fee is 10,000 won.

Shinhan Bank 110-072-53735 (Kim Gyu-na)

◆ Author Kim Gyu-na

She debuted in 2006 when her short story 'My Man's Dream' was selected in the Busan Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest, and in 2007, her short story 'Knife' was selected in the Chosun Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest. She has published novels such as 'Trust Me' and 'Cherry Lemon Cocktail,' and recently released 'Reading the World Through Novels.'