On Bush's opinions and how they affect his likability -- I always thought it odd that the fandom brushes all those pro-brutality, pro-prejudice opinions aside to make him their pet teddy bear. (She says, as if she herself doesn't cherish William Bush!) But as you point out, the strength of his loyalty and affection for Hornblower does a very great deal to endear him to the reader.
(btw, tgarnsl and I have both theorized that Bush is written to Georgian standards of masculinity/officership, while Hornblower is written to Victorian/20th-century standards, mostly as Forester's work-around for the paradox of the Georgian navy being a terribly unpleasant place to a modern reader. Bush is in the background roaring to quick hang the traitor before he dies of his injuries, meanwhile Hornblower wrings his hands about how sickening execution is and wishes he could be the manly ideal of a Georgian naval officer, like Bush is. I think you saw a little of that dynamic on the Lydia, with Bush flogging the 'simple' sailor every week for his repeated crimes of spitting on the decks, with Hornblower sickened by it but feeling like he had no choice but to back him up.)
Forester is sometimes a bit odd in his choice of how to end a novel, but this one is notably so with that long Portsmouth coda. (The movies shift the Peace of Amiens section to the beginning of the next story, Hotspur, which canonically begins two weeks after Lieutenant ends. And it works well there: the Portsmouth bit about marrying Maria and getting the new ship fits very smoothly as the opening to Hotspur.) My own suspicion about why Lieutenant ends so late is so that Forester can sneak Wellard's death in there, thereby leaving Hornblower as the only man standing who knows for certain what happened to Sawyer. (And Hornblower will never tell!)
Yes, the pineapple scene in hospital is wonderful -- in the fandom, pineapples are very much the symbol of their love and affection. (I hesitate to say how many pineapples I've written into my own stories!) I'm also very fond of Hornblower running to Bush when he's wounded and cradling his head in his hands -- and Bush smiles, because it's Hornblower. Aw! I also like the lemonade, and Hornblower throwing himself to his knees by Bush's stretcher when he's brought up on deck for transfer to the hospital. (Throwing oneself to one's knees beside your beloved's friend's stretcher is always a good look!)
it's much clearer how his messed-up patterns of thought result directly from the demands the Navy makes of him.
Yup, yup. It's a prominent theme in Mr. Midshipman and Hotspur, too, the two novels that immediately bookend this one by internal chronology.
Huzzah, I'm so glad you enjoyed Lieutenant! I'm interested to hear what you make of Ship of the Line, and I look forward to you getting into the juicy h/c of Flying Colours.
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On Bush's opinions and how they affect his likability -- I always thought it odd that the fandom brushes all those pro-brutality, pro-prejudice opinions aside to make him their pet teddy bear. (She says, as if she herself doesn't cherish William Bush!) But as you point out, the strength of his loyalty and affection for Hornblower does a very great deal to endear him to the reader.
(btw,
Forester is sometimes a bit odd in his choice of how to end a novel, but this one is notably so with that long Portsmouth coda. (The movies shift the Peace of Amiens section to the beginning of the next story, Hotspur, which canonically begins two weeks after Lieutenant ends. And it works well there: the Portsmouth bit about marrying Maria and getting the new ship fits very smoothly as the opening to Hotspur.) My own suspicion about why Lieutenant ends so late is so that Forester can sneak Wellard's death in there, thereby leaving Hornblower as the only man standing who knows for certain what happened to Sawyer. (And Hornblower will never tell!)
Yes, the pineapple scene in hospital is wonderful -- in the fandom, pineapples are very much the symbol of their love and affection. (I hesitate to say how many pineapples I've written into my own stories!) I'm also very fond of Hornblower running to Bush when he's wounded and cradling his head in his hands -- and Bush smiles, because it's Hornblower. Aw! I also like the lemonade, and Hornblower throwing himself to his knees by Bush's stretcher when he's brought up on deck for transfer to the hospital. (Throwing oneself to one's knees beside your
beloved'sfriend's stretcher is always a good look!)it's much clearer how his messed-up patterns of thought result directly from the demands the Navy makes of him.
Yup, yup. It's a prominent theme in Mr. Midshipman and Hotspur, too, the two novels that immediately bookend this one by internal chronology.
Huzzah, I'm so glad you enjoyed Lieutenant! I'm interested to hear what you make of Ship of the Line, and I look forward to you getting into the juicy h/c of Flying Colours.