Triumphing Over Adversity

The book’s core thematic consideration – i.e., the archetypal human experience that gives the book’s plot its meaning and purpose – is the experience of triumphing over adversity. The narrative is, essentially, a story of heroism as manifest in the experiences and behavior of individuals, of a community, and in some ways of an ideology.

For example, the actions of the book’s central character, Commander George Krause, are the primary manifestation of this theme on the level of the individual, but the actions of the captains of some of the other ships also manifest this theme in the same way, as do the occasionally glimpsed actions of individual crew members. The actions of captains and crew in general are also, in turn, connected to the heroism of a community – specifically, the community of ships convoyed together, working with and supporting each other...