Pincher Martin
Encyclopedia
Pincher Martin: The Two Deaths of Christopher Martin (often referred to simply as Pincher Martin), is a survivalist
novel by British
writer William Golding
, first published in 1956. It is Golding's third novel, directly following The Inheritors
, which in turn came after his widely successful debut and magnum opus
, Lord of the Flies
.
The novel is often considered one of Golding's most survivalistic
works, and is noted for being uniquely existential and somewhat minimalistic in setting.
The plot of Pincher Martin surrounds the survival and psychophysical, spiritual and existential plight of one Christopher Hadley "Pincher" Martin, a temporary naval lieutenant and the sole survivor of a military torpedo
destroyer
which sinks in the North Atlantic Ocean
. Martin is unconscious at the opening of the novel, but wakes in complete darkness, submerged, before nearly drowning after being thrown into the side of a rocky islet. After desperately calling out for help, and receiving none, he correctly deduces that his naval crew is dead; and, disoriented, he scrambles up the rock to avoid the constant battering of the surrounding waves. Once on the island, he starts his struggle for survival but, as time goes by, a series of strange and increasingly terrifying events, which he at first dismisses as hallucinations, slowly cause him to lose his grip on reality.
The novel's twist ending suggests that Martin actually drowned shortly after his ship was sunk. This interpretation changes the work into an allegory of purgatory and damnation. Some believe that, instead, sometime during the narrative, Martin loses his battle to maintain his sanity while fighting to survive alone on the barren rocks.
The North Atlantic islet in question is described in the novel as very small, rocky, barren and remote, "only appearing on weather charts". It is due to these descriptions that a number of critics and reviewers proposed that the setting provided is that of Rockall
, which seems to fit the definitions given.
Survivalism in fiction
Portrayals of survivalism, and survivalist themes and elements such as survival retreats have been fictionalised in print, film, and electronic media. This genre was especially influenced by the advent of nuclear weapons, and the potential for societal collapse in light of a Cold War nuclear...
novel by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
writer William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
, first published in 1956. It is Golding's third novel, directly following The Inheritors
The Inheritors (William Golding)
The Inheritors is the 1955 second novel by the British author William Golding, best known for Lord of the Flies. It was his personal favourite of all his novels and concerns the extinction of the last remaining tribe of Neanderthals at the hands of the more sophisticated Homo sapiens.-Plot...
, which in turn came after his widely successful debut and magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
.
The novel is often considered one of Golding's most survivalistic
Survivalism
Survivalism is a movement of individuals or groups who are actively preparing for future possible disruptions in local, regional, national, or international social or political order...
works, and is noted for being uniquely existential and somewhat minimalistic in setting.
The plot of Pincher Martin surrounds the survival and psychophysical, spiritual and existential plight of one Christopher Hadley "Pincher" Martin, a temporary naval lieutenant and the sole survivor of a military torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
which sinks in the North Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Martin is unconscious at the opening of the novel, but wakes in complete darkness, submerged, before nearly drowning after being thrown into the side of a rocky islet. After desperately calling out for help, and receiving none, he correctly deduces that his naval crew is dead; and, disoriented, he scrambles up the rock to avoid the constant battering of the surrounding waves. Once on the island, he starts his struggle for survival but, as time goes by, a series of strange and increasingly terrifying events, which he at first dismisses as hallucinations, slowly cause him to lose his grip on reality.
The novel's twist ending suggests that Martin actually drowned shortly after his ship was sunk. This interpretation changes the work into an allegory of purgatory and damnation. Some believe that, instead, sometime during the narrative, Martin loses his battle to maintain his sanity while fighting to survive alone on the barren rocks.
The North Atlantic islet in question is described in the novel as very small, rocky, barren and remote, "only appearing on weather charts". It is due to these descriptions that a number of critics and reviewers proposed that the setting provided is that of Rockall
Rockall
Rockall is an extremely small, uninhabited, remote rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean. It gives its name to one of the sea areas named in the shipping forecast provided by the British Meteorological Office....
, which seems to fit the definitions given.