The Cruise of the Breadwinner
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2014) |
War fiction | |
Publisher | Michael Joseph |
---|---|
Publication date | 1946 |
Media type | |
Pages | 63 |
The Cruise of the Breadwinner is a novella by the British author H. E. Bates. It was first published in 1946 and has been printed a number of times since. Much like the acclaimed novel Fair Stood the Wind for France, it is one of Bates' war-oriented pieces.
Main characters
- Snowy – Young cabin boy on board the Breadwinner
- Gregson – Old, fat, tender and distinctly working-class captain of the Breadwinner
- Jimmy – Young engineer on board the Breadwinner
- Karl Messner – Young, quiet German pilot
- "The English Boy" – Young, upper-class RAF pilot
Plot summary
The story takes place on board the Breadwinner, an old battered fishing boat, contributing to the war effort by carrying out a routine patrol of a particular stretch of coast in the
Literary features
The personal developments that main character Snowy undergoes over the course of the novella mean that the piece could accurately be described as a Bildungsroman - a coming of age story - in which Snowy's ultimate realisation of just how insignificant the binoculars are serves as something of an epiphany. The emphasised youth and common nature of the two pilots demonstrates the author's notions of equality and also provides a general criticism of war and racism. Gregson's conclusive denouncement "Why don't they let our lives alone? God damn and blast them - all of them, all of them, all the bastards, all over the world!" could also be described as an Everyman perspective, a summary of the general attitude towards the war.
See also
- H. E. Bates
- War fiction
- Bildungsroman
- Fair Stood the Wind for France
References
- ^ http://www.broom-lynne.com/Bookjackets/crusie_bread.htm Retrieved 2013-12-03