Master and Commander: naval warfare and leadership in the Napoleonic era

¶ … Master & Commander - Patrick O'Brian

I believe you have been led astray by the words master and commander (122, Chapter 4 p. 3).

Despite the fact that one might be a captain at sea, one is not a master of all things -- not all men's fate on land and sea, not of the class system off a ship, nor of the capricious nature of fate in general, especially one's fate on the sea.

I don't despair of making our gunnery at least as dangerous to others as it is to ourselves (163, Chapter 5, p. 12).

Ironically, a ship's weapons are always dangerous -- even to those individuals on board who do not know how to use them properly, but the ideal is to use this dangerous potential against enemy vessels.

Come, come, come. There is not a moment to be lost (189, Chapter 6, p. 10).

This is indicative of the captain's way of coping with difficulties, emotional as well as physical -- the comforting 'come, come, come,' instead becomes a rallying cry to help others deal with distress.

As it was, the Cacafuego passed silently a mile and a half to the westward of the Sophie, and neither caught sight of the other (204, Chapter 7, p. 5).

The ships Cacafuego and Sophie are characterized not merely as female or living beings, as is frequently the case with ships, but as persons who can see one another as if they have eyes like a human face, even though what is really meant by the passage is that the lookouts on both ships seem to fail to see one another.

Jack had a notion that some fleeting reserve passed across James Dillon's face, or perhaps showed in his voice (218, Chapter 7, p. 19).

Dillon suspects that the captain of the ship is enjoying the favors of a woman of ill repute, which Dillon feels duty-bound to conceal, whether he approves of such behavior or not.

He was profoundly dissatisfied with himself for his performance aboard the San Fiorenzo (238, Chapter 7, p. 39, 6 from end).

One's performance on the ship, more than one's performance on one's profession on land is what matters in Jack's point-of-view and the point of the view of the text.

The boat touched the Sophie's side. 'No such passengers aboard, sir,' he reported (243, Chapter 7, last page).

Who is admitted to a ship has a strict hierarchy -- and the captain's word is law in terms of who is allowed on board, as is seen in the above quotation.

My moneyman wants to send his son to sea -- you have a vacancy for a youngster; it is as simple as that (266, Chapter 8, p. 23).

A vacancy for a youngster means an apprenticeship -- the moneyman or creditor is necessary for the ship's ability to sail, and thus the captain is willing to accept the young son, and take the 'burden' of the child off of the moneyman's hand suppose I am rather on the hideous side (268, Chapter 8, p.25).

The hideous side physically as a human being, yet also the hideous side of the ship, where the conflict is located and poor weather threatens the craft.

Transfixed with terror at th'approaching doom

Self-pity in their breasts alone has room (289, Chapter 9, p. 13).

When facing the end, this poem indicates, the only thing any human beings think of is their own self-preservation, and their own self's concerns -- and in fact, this may only be natural, right and proper.

Clew up,' called Jack, continuing the turn that brought the Sophie into the wind. 'Bonden, strike the colours' (377, Chapter 11, last page).

Jack's use of a sailor's turn of phrase such as clue or 'clew' up shows his new inculcation in the vocabulary of sailing life, as does his ability to steer the Sophie with a command, and his free and firm ability to command others on ship.