Willie and May’s Long Courtship

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Willie and May’s relationship shifts from attraction and unequal expectations through separation, regret, and a final uncertain attempt at reconciliation.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Mozart in the Club Mozart in the Club from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Mozart in the Club A Meeting in New York Willie hears May sing Cherubino’s aria and is captivated by her natural musicality and beauty.

Mozart in the Club from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Mozart in the Club A Meeting in New York Willie hears May sing Cherubino’s aria and is captivated by her natural musicality and beauty.

Mozart in the Club A Meeting in New York Willie hears May sing Cherubino’s aria and is captivated by her natural musicality and beauty. Their differences in class, education, and money are present from their first conversations. An Unequal Romance Willie enjoys the relationship while quietly assuming it will not lead to marriage.

A Farewell Deferred A Farewell Deferred from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". A Farewell Deferred The Draft and the Navy When Willie enters midshipmen school, he leaves May without resolving what their relationship means.

A Farewell Deferred from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". A Farewell Deferred The Draft and the Navy When Willie enters midshipmen school, he leaves May without resolving what their relationship means.

A Farewell Deferred The Draft and the Navy When Willie enters midshipmen school, he leaves May without resolving what their relationship means. May visits him through training, while he avoids confronting her expectation of a shared future. A First Act of Growing Up His commitment to naval training slowly becomes more serious than the carefree romance he had planned.

Yosemite and the Proposal Yosemite and the Proposal from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Yosemite and the Proposal Intimacy and Doubt In Yosemite Valley, Willie and May sleep together, but the experience leaves both uncertain and exposed.

Yosemite and the Proposal from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Yosemite and the Proposal Intimacy and Doubt In Yosemite Valley, Willie and May sleep together, but the experience leaves both uncertain and exposed.

Yosemite and the Proposal Intimacy and Doubt In Yosemite Valley, Willie and May sleep together, but the experience leaves both uncertain and exposed. Willie’s proposal emerges partly from guilt, while May refuses to treat a sudden promise as a settled decision. A Maternal Argument Mrs. Keith encourages Willie to reconsider the match, sharpening his class prejudice and his indecision.

The Breakup in New York The Breakup in New York from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". The Breakup in New York A Delayed Conversation Willie returns from war and visits May intending to end their relationship face to face.

The Breakup in New York from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". The Breakup in New York A Delayed Conversation Willie returns from war and visits May intending to end their relationship face to face.

The Breakup in New York A Delayed Conversation Willie returns from war and visits May intending to end their relationship face to face. Seeing her exhaustion and the pressures on her family makes the choice painful, but does not erase his doubts. A Loveless Decision May recognizes that Willie’s affection cannot overcome his unwillingness to choose her fully.

The Late Proposal The Late Proposal from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". The Late Proposal A New Understanding After the kamikaze attack, Willie realizes that losing May is the prospect he regrets most.

The Late Proposal from "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". The Late Proposal A New Understanding After the kamikaze attack, Willie realizes that losing May is the prospect he regrets most.

The Late Proposal A New Understanding After the kamikaze attack, Willie realizes that losing May is the prospect he regrets most. He writes a direct marriage proposal, but May does not answer before he returns home. An Unresolved Reunion Willie finds May with Walter Feather and asks her again; she admits a complicated attachment but gives no final answer.

Spring 1942, at Club Tahiti

Late 1942, before Willie enters training

During Willie’s first leave in the United States

February 1945, during Willie’s leave

After Willie leaves the Navy, near the final pages