Friendships

One of the dominant and recurrent themes of the novel is that of friendships. The most obvious example is that of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, who have been particular friends for many, many years, and have shared various types of experiences together. They form an intimate pair with complementary skills and shared goals. Indeed, the close friendship between Aubrey and Maturin is the backbone of the narrative that runs through the twenty volumes in the series of novels. The current novel features numerous other friendships, however, that support and develop the theme of friendship. Maturin and Nathaniel Martin are close friends and share much common interest in natural philosophy, science, and medicine. As Aubrey has little formal education and demonstrates little interest in animals—apart from whether or not they can be eaten—Maturin finds Martin's interest and education compelling.

Throughout the novel Martin and...