By my personal star rating system a
four star book represents a book I might read again. Rudyard
Kipling's Captains Courageous
is ☆ ☆ ☆
☆ by
that measurement.
I went to Project Gutenberg the other day looking for a
copy of Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King. While browsing
there I picked up a copy of Captains Courageous. It has been a
long time since I read the story, and honestly, the Spencer Tracy
movie version was jumbled up with my memory of the book.
Captains Courageous is the coming of age story of
Harvey Cheyne, the spoiled son of a wealthy family. The short
synopsis: When Harvey falls over board from a large cruise liner he
is rescued by a small fishing bark, the We're Here. Harvey
learns what it means to be a man while earning his keep during
a fishing season on “The Banks.” Harvey is returned to his doting
mother and self-made rich father who then teaches Harvey the value of
an education. Harvey grows up to be a resilient, educated, soon to
be, captain of business, a Captains Courageous.
That doesn't sound like a particularly exciting story
line to me. Does it to you? So why might I read Captains
Courageous again? Kipling is a good story teller. That point can
not be undersold. The people in the story are full of life. The
scenery (ocean waves, fog, wind in the sails) is majestic and
powerful. The dialects are fun. And the histories of the men are
appealing. And in our current time of “entitled children” it's
good to see a spoiled boy become a respected man. Is that still
possible? I have a seventeen year old son, I'll let you know.
George W. Parker
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