Duty, Discipline, and “Mr. Midshipman Hornblower”

A book review on the high seas.

I have loved seafaring stories since I read a biography about Lord Nelson when I was eleven. It’s one of my weird quirks and every once in a while I like to acknowledge the quirk with some quality ocean adventures.

Many years ago, I watched the Hornblower series of movies and thoroughly enjoyed them. At the time of watching them, I wouldn’t have appreciated the books (too much ship lingo), but now…I somewhat understand the ship lingo.

This book is not a single, seamless story, but a collection of adventures Hornblower has while a midshipman and up until he gets promoted to lieutenant, all of which happens in the mid 1790’s. Most of these stories take place on a ship, with a couple of them venturing onto land where the ferocity of the British army is on display. Not being a bona fide ship expert, I can’t speak to the accuracy of how this lifestyle is portrayed, but I can say that I felt as if I stood right next to Hornblower on the heaving decks and up in the mizzen top.

The stories range from duels and lively cargo (expanding rice and irritated cows), to capturing enemy ships and being captured by the enemy. One of my favorite stories is when Hornblower goes in for his examination to become a lieutenant. He and forty other hopeful applicants anxiously await their turn before the sea-hardened officers. Of course it seems a given that Hornblower, a decent student, will pass with little trouble, even as numerous others are rejected. But once Hornblower’s test is put to him—involving a nor’easterly wind and Dover—his mind draws a blank and his hypothetical ship is dismasted as a result. Moments from flunking his test, a commotion distracts the judges and they discover that the enemy has sent fire ships (a ship that is, surprise! on fire and steered toward enemy ships in hopes of setting them on fire too) toward the British’s anchored ships. Everyone scurries to protect the helpless ships from being burned by the attacking force. Hornblower rises to the occasion and under the guidance of one of the judges, he navigates a fire ship clear of potential targets. It’s a daring feat, but not enough to gain him the promotion.

What I find endearing and somewhat adorable is how utterly wet behind the ears Hornblower is at the start. He has a budding understanding of ship mechanics, but he’s afraid of heights, he doesn’t start out having the confidence to lead anyone, and he doesn’t even know the difference between a head and a halliard, the rookie. This lack of experience doesn’t prevent him from being chosen for high risk tasks, but it does mean that he fails. And fails. The failures shake him and he experiences fear, panic, horror and desperation, and yet he keeps going. I see the makings of a great man in him and it’s so heartwarming and inspiring. I watched a seventeen year old boy take his first steps toward being a man and I’m proud of him.

I don’t normally look at characters in terms of their role model potential, but if you know of young boys who could use a little push, Horatio Hornblower is a fine candidate for emulation. When he steps aboard his first ship, the boy immediately becomes the target of a bully, but he does stand up to said bully and beats him. Yes, it involves a legit duel, so probably not an exact one-to-one guide to use in today’s society, but Hornblower had had enough and he took care of things, which a lot of people could stand to imitate. The failures that occur because of his shortsightedness or lack of knowledge do result in some pretty bad losses and yet he doesn’t try to dodge the consequences. He feels the mistakes quite keenly and endeavors to learn from them, so that each new hurdle he comes upon is handled with that much more understanding and control.

It was a black moment; [Hornblower] looked round at the unfriendly sea for inspiration and support, and found neither. Several seconds passed before he was ready to speak, and ready to maintain the dignity of a naval officer in face of difficulties.

The British are known for keeping a “stiff upper lip,” which, back in the 1700’s and 1800’s, I would describe more as having a deep sense of duty, and the discipline to always follow that duty. At the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Lord Nelson signaled to his men the message of, “England expects that every man will do his duty,” and watching these naval men and the redcoats perform under immense pressure is intimidating, but also really cool in a nerdy way.

…like marionettes all on the same string the company that had fired now reloaded, every man biting out his bullet at the same instant, every man ramming home his charge, every man spitting his bullet into his musket barrel with the same instantaneous inclination of the head.

I look at that and I wonder how on earth the Americans won the Revolutionary War. The British army’s ability and willingness to completely annihilate everything is terrifying but it makes for some good storytelling. A kid like Hornblower is placed in battles and storms and no one is there to kindly help him along because he is a British officer and that comes with a whole heap of ingrained duties.

[Hornblower] had to lead—it was expected of him.

From a story perspective, that kind of pressure is one that really tests characters. Seeing how someone performs when it all rides on them is the quickest way to find out just what sort of person you’re following and how future troubles are likely to play out. And Hornblower’s way of dealing with trouble is going through it. It might not be the “right” way, it might be sneaky, it might result in failure, but he is going to face it, partly because it’s his duty (and not doing your duty is shameful), and partly because it’s who he is. It might terrify him and he may have regrets, but he is not a coward and watching him press on is a lesson for everyone.

“Stand still, there!” roared Hornblower, scared of the plague but with the habits of discipline so deeply entrained in him by now that he checked the panic automatically.

The other characters aren’t as well-realized, with the slight exception of Captain Pellew. That is a mark against the book; several characters appear and disappear with no explanation or fanfare. Anyone who hasn’t watched the series is going to be at a serious disadvantage and might get annoyed at the ever-changing roster of characters. However, having seen the series I instantly put actor’s faces to the names and recalled bits of their personality from the series, so in a way I was having double-vision: reading what the book says and remembering what happened in the series. It was jarring at times, especially regarding a character like Kennedy, but it did help my reading experience because I was not lost amidst all the characters.

I’ve never actually set foot on a proper ship, but I know just enough terminology to not be completely confused when the officers give orders and the motion of ships is mentioned. If you have zero knowledge of that kind of stuff, I would warn you against reading this book because you’ll struggle to follow along. I don’t mean to brag—because I really am not even on an intermediate level when it comes to this stuff—but I probably don’t realize how much terminology I’ve picked up over the years. Feel free to jump in, but be aware that there’s a lot of lingo and it isn’t really expounded on.

Ship lingo aside, it’s an easy read and though I wouldn’t say Forester has a distinct style of prose, I did notice some clever turns of phrase.

I can’t help but compare it to the movies. Things are drastically changed in the adaptation for the sake of more drama, and yet it kept a lot of the main points, and it has better depictions of the other officers and sailors. I like them both for different reasons and would recommend them to all sea and ship enthusiasts.

Random last thought: Hornblower’s birthday is July 4^th 1776 and that amuses me greatly.

Hornblower was as excited as the rest of them; he wanted to rush out and see what was happening, but he thought of that moment of disciplined calm which he had seen in H.M.S. Indefatigable as she went into action. He was not of this breed of Frenchman, and to prove it he made himself put his cup to his lips again and drink calmly.

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