The Poseidon Adventure

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This is about the novel. For the films of the same name that were based on the book, see The Poseidon Adventure (film) and The Poseidon Adventure (2005 film).

The Poseidon Adventure is an American adventure novel by Paul Gallico, released in 1969. It concerns the capsizing of a luxurious ocean liner, the SS Poseidon by a tidal wave[1] in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and the desperate struggles of a handful of survivors to reach the bottom of the liner's hull before the ship sinks.

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[edit] Plot summary

Formerly the R.M.S. Atlantis, the SS Poseidon is a luxury ocean liner from the golden age of travel, with cabins now refurbished as a single class. The ship is on one of its last voyages in the North Atlantic with the new company, celebrated with a month long Christmas voyage from Lisbon to Africa and South America. On December 26th, 400 miles south-west of the Azores, the Poseidon is overturned by a tsunami, caused by an underwater earthquake, which traps all passengers and crew inside.

Starting from the upper deck dining room, preacher Reverend Frank "Buzz" Scott leads a small group of (often unwilling) followers towards the bottom of the ship, trying to avoid the rising water level and other such hazards. Those stuck within the dining saloon are unwilling to follow the Reverend, and stay behind.

While in the overturned dining room, the survivors climb a metal Christmas tree to ascend into the kitchen. The rag-tag group ventures through the obliterated and body-ridden kitchen. Two of the ship's stewards, Acre and Peters, decide to stay behind to help others; and are never seen again. Whilst climbing two treacherous upside-down staircases, they meet up with Nona "Nonnie" Parry, a can-can dancer from the ship's entertainment group The Gresham Girls.

They then come upon "Broadway", a lengthy corridor that runs from the bow of the Poseidon to the stern. The posse breaks for a while whilst they look for supplies. Robin ventures off to find the bathroom, The Beamer and Pamela find the liquor cabinet, and Jane Shelby goes berserk at her husband. When the ship's emergency lighting suddenly blacks out, a number of crew members stampede towards the stern; they are trampled, or killed by falling into a large pit where a boiler tore through several floors of the upturned ship. Panicking, the group goes in search of Tony, Pamela, and Robin, who are missing.

Mike Rogo finds The Beamer intoxicated, and Pamela refuses to leave him. Robin remains lost. While searching for the youngest Shelby sibling, Susan is brutally raped by a teenage crew member who is afraid to die a virgin. Susan talks with the boy, and grows to like him. In a panic, the boy runs off. The changed woman rejoins the group and tells them nothing of what happened.

After an intense search, they make the painful decision that Robin must be left behind. The Reverend, having found a Turkish oiler, guides the other survivors through Broadway to the stern. They find the corridor to the engine room, which is completely submerged. Belle Rosen, a former W.S.A. champion, goes through the corridor and clears the pathway, getting them to the other side. Upon their arrival, they find the engine room, or "Hell" as Mr. Martin calls it.

They take this time to rest, in which Linda Rogo makes a move on the Reverend. Afterward they see the way out - five decks up, on top off a fractured steel wall they call "Mount Poseidon". On the trip up, Linda Rogo leaves the troupe to find her own way out, and accidentally falls to her death onto a piece of sharp steel. Another explosion rocks the ship, and the Reverend, in an insane rage, denounces God, offers himself as a sacrifice and commits suicide. Mary Kinsale screams in grief and confesses that they were to be married.

Martin takes charge of the group and they find their way into a small tunnel where the steel hull is the thinnest. After hours of waiting, they are finally found; but Belle Rosen has a heart attack and dies before the rescue team can reach her. The rescue team cuts through and all passengers climb out of the upturned hull. Manny, however, refuses to leave without Belle's remains. Once outside, the survivors see another group of about thirty people at the head of the ship.

Taken back to an aircraft carrier in lifeboats, they see The Beamer and Pamela, who have survived after all. Aboard the carrier, they watch as the Poseidon sinks. Jane Shelby, finally giving up hope, silently grieves the loss of her son. The group goes their separate ways - Mary Kinsale and Nonnie on a ship back to England; Mike Rogo, Manny Rosen, Dick, Jane and Susan Shelby back to New York; and the Turk back to Turkey.

The novel ends with Susan dreaming of going to Hull in England to visit the parents of the boy who had raped her. She wishes that she was pregnant with his child so he would have a legacy - like the one Acre, Peters, Linda, Belle, and Robin would never get.

[edit] Notable sub-storyline

Reverend Frank “Buzz” Scott (Gene Hackman)

As the story goes, the SS Poseidon is on its final journey and is headed to the graveyard of ships where it will be melted down. There are a few problems along the way that give rise to the thought that the ship is in disrepair due to lack of proper maintenance. For example, the water ballast pumps are out of commission which causes the ship to be topheavy.

Along the journey, The Poseidon is notified by ship weather radio that there has been an undersea earthquake that has generated a large tidal wave. This tidal wave has not yet been observed by any ships, so the crew does not properly know what to expect. As the crew make lookout nearing midnight, the guests are bringing in the New Year with a pop hit "The Morning After" being performed...and a 90 foot wave rolls the ship.

Earlier in the day, The Reverend (Gene Hackman) is given an opportunity by the Ship's head preacher boy to give the faithful teachings on this New Years Eve. Here is the story he tells:

God is pretty busy. He's got a long term plan for humanity that stretches far beyond our comprehension. So it is not reasonable to expect him to concern himself with the individual.

The individual is important only to the extent of providing a creative link between the past...and the future...and his children and his grandchildren or in his contribution he makes to humanity. Therefore, don't pray to God to solve your problems.

Pray to that part of God within you!

Have the guts to fight for yourself. God wants brave souls! He wants winners, not quiters. If you can't win, at least try to win! God loves triers -- ain't that right Robin? (Boy responds "Right!")

So, what resolution shall we make for the new year?

Resolve to make God know that you have the Guts and the Will to do it alone!

Resolve to fight for yourselves...and for others...and for those you love!

And that part of God in you will be fighting with you all the way.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Review

The book attracted little attention at the time of its first publication. The New York Times gave it a one paragraph review, noting that "Mr. Gallico collects a Grand Hotel (a reference to the 1930 Vicki Baum novel) full of shipboard dossiers. These interlocking histories may be damp with sentimentality as well as brine—but the author's skill as a storyteller invests them with enough suspense to last the desperate journey."

In the spring of 2006, Penguin Publishing was set to re-release The Poseidon Adventure in paperback and audio CD formats, in anticipation of Warner Bros' re-telling of the disaster story.

[edit] Film adaptations

[edit] Satire in MAD Magazine

The take-off on the movie in Mad Magazine called "The Poopsidedown Adventure" ends with a kid telling Borgnine that, if an ocean liner ever turned upside down, it would right itself within two hours. This particular issue is the top selling Mad Magazine issue of all time.

[edit] External link

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The tidal wave can't have been a tsunami, which isn't higher than a few inches out at sea; nor can it have been a rogue wave, which isn't caused by an earthquake. These points were raised by critics in response to the film of the same name.