David Butler's novel Lusitania (1982) embraces a wide range of characters, historical and fictional, while also exploring the military and diplomatic issues related to the incident. The chief figures in the story are the two captains, Will Turner, captain of the ill-fated liner, and Walther Schwieger, the submarine commander. Of the two, Schwieger is the more important, since he is faced with the moral dilemma raised by the opportunity to sink the ship. He also plays a critical role as the unwitting agent in a plot by the German grand admiral, Alfred von Tirpitz. As the author conceives of it, von Tirpitz, unwilling to submit to the subordinate role the navy has assumed in the war, deliberately plans the sinking by placing onboard, as Schwieger's second in command, an officer who uses threats and lies to goad Schwieger into attacking the ship against his will. When he returns to Berlin, Schweiger is berated by the kaiser and abandoned by his fiancee.

Among the passengers on the Lusitania were the millionaire Alfred Vanderbilt and the theatrical producer Charles Frohman, both of whom are depicted going to their deaths with quiet dignity. Chief among the fictional passengers are the members of a Canadian family; the father and daughter die, while the mother and son survive. Their stories and others are related in the course of the voyage. When the story shifts periodically to the United States, it focuses on the conflict between President Wilson and his secretary of state, William Jennings Bryant, who was the most prominent American supporting American neutrality. Wilson, who campaigned in 1916 on the slogan "He kept us out of war," had clung to the idea that a neutral United States could broker an early end to the war. But that hope is seriously damaged by the sinking. His strongly worded rebuke to the Germans results in Bryant's resignation.

Written in the tradition of disaster novels and films, in which quick character sketches and rapidly shifting scenes are designed to build suspense and interest, Lusitania provides these generic characteristics and adds some interesting pieces of historical speculation.

Free term papers are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can use our professional writing services to buy a custom written research paper, term paper, or essay on World Literature at affordable price. CustomTermPapers is the best solution for those who seek help in writing term papers, essays, and research papers related to World Literature and other relevant topics.