A true story told through fictional characters recaptures the Bounty’s far from peaceful journey. Told in three books, the story is recounted from three different perspectives.
In the first book, Mutiny on the Bounty, the story is told by Roger Byam. Traveling to Tahiti to retrieve plants, the crew is often subjected to Captain Blight’s mistreatment and constant suspicion. The other officers are not excluded. Bligh continues to reduce rations as a few pounds of food disappears and protects the Mr. Samuel when he shorts the men’s rations. The first mate, Mr. Christian takes action when Captain Bligh’s abuse reaches a new high. Asleep during the start of the mutiny, Byam races up to the main deck and finds Captain Bligh is already being detained by the now mutinous crew. Christian’s plan is to hold Bligh and return to England and turn him in to the court. The crew, however, is so riled that they are not able to contain themselves and seek to kill him on the spot. To reach an agreement, Christian agrees to set Bligh and those loyal adrift. Byam goes below to get a few supplies since he intends to leave the ship with Captain Bligh. As the boat is filled with supplies and men, Byam misses his chance to leave. The rest of the Bounty’s crew begin a search for a place to settle. After several attempts, Christian leaves the innocent crew members and a few of the mutineers on Tahiti and sails away with the rest of the crew. Those left on Tahiti begin new lives and start families. Not too long after, the Pandora arrives and the Captain aboard is unwilling to listen to anyone on their innocence. On board, one of the crew set adrift with Captain Bligh identifies Byam as a mutineer. Byam is not alone in this and is sent into the brig with the rest of the English sailors from the Bounty. After some time, a new brig is constructed for them to be on deck. Time passes slowly for men who are condemned to death even before their trials. Their journey back to England is not an easy one and their reason for return is not hopeful.
The second book, Men Against the Sea, is told by Thomas Ledward, acting surgeon of the Bounty. He is one of the nineteen set adrift with Captain Bligh. Ledward admits that Bligh was not liked and mistreated the crew but also contrast it with the idea that only Bligh could bring them to safety. This book is the shortest of the three but is action-packed in their journey in a small boat across the ocean.
The third book, Pitcairn’s Island, is told by a third-person and ends with a narrative by Alex Smith. The crew finds an island that fits what they are looking for and begin to settle the island. Christian feels badly for leading the mutiny and does his best to start a good life for them all. Along with the native men and women from Tahiti that joined them, the crew works to set up their settlement in a way that they can defend and be aware of coming ships. Life on the island seems wonderful for quite some time until some of the crew feel that the Indian men should not have the benefits that the Englishmen have. The chaos that ensues continues for several years.
I enjoyed reading all three of these books. Written in old English dialect, these books can take some time to read. The negatives of these books are that alcohol is often used as entertainment and indulgent lives are allowed to prosper. The last part of Pitcairn’s Island somewhat redeems these with Christian ideals. Overall, these books are about men and women who are in difficult situations and they must make the best decisions they can. I think that students in high school or college would be able to understand these books and also be able to reason out the good and bad choices and understand that not all decisions in life are easy.
