Mr Midshipman Easy facts for kids
Mr. Midshipman Easy is an exciting novel written in 1836 by Frederick Marryat. He was a retired captain from the Royal Navy. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, a time when Marryat himself bravely served in the navy.
Contents
What is "Mr. Midshipman Easy" About?
The story follows a young man named Easy. His parents spoiled him a lot. His father thought of himself as a wise thinker. He strongly believed that everyone was born equal. He felt that everyone should share the Earth's resources. However, most people didn't agree with his ideas. People who owned land didn't want to share with those who had nothing. Still, they let him talk about his ideas while they enjoyed his good wine.
Easy's Early Beliefs
By the time Easy was a teenager, he had adopted his father's views. He even started to believe that private property was wrong. This meant he thought people shouldn't own things just for themselves.
Easy decided to join the navy. His father thought the navy was a great example of an equal society. There, Easy became friends with a sailor named Mesty. Mesty was an escaped slave who used to be a prince in Africa. Mesty liked Easy's ideas about equality at first. He hoped it would help him move up from his job of "boiling kettle for de young gentlemen."
However, Mesty's mind changed when he got promoted. He became a ship's corporal, which meant he was in charge of discipline. He realized that equality wasn't so simple when he had power. He told Easy, "Now that I am a ship's corporal and have a cane, I no longer think so."
Mesty actually helps Easy a lot throughout the book. Easy is an impulsive 17-year-old. He often gets into trouble while sailing the Mediterranean Sea. Mesty often helps him get out of these tricky situations.
Easy Returns Home
Despite his unusual ideas, Easy becomes a skilled officer. Later, his mother passes away. Easy goes home and finds his father has become very strange. His father had invented a machine. This machine was supposed to change bumps on people's heads. But when he tried to use it on himself, it accidentally killed him.
Easy then takes charge of his family's estate. He gets rid of the dishonest servants his father had hired. He demands rent from the people living on his land. If they couldn't pay, he asked them to leave. With his new wealth, Easy leaves the navy. He sets up his own ship to capture enemy vessels. He then sails back to Sicily to marry Agnes. Since he is now a rich gentleman, Agnes's family agrees to the marriage. Easy and Agnes live happily ever after.
Movies Based on the Book
The novel Mr. Midshipman Easy has been made into an adventure film twice in the UK.
- In 1915, it was a silent film called Midshipman Easy. It was directed by Maurice Elvey.
- In 1935, it was made again with sound, also called Midshipman Easy. This version was directed by Carol Reed.
