MovieChat Forums > Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) Discussion > Why did they burn their ship at the end?...

Why did they burn their ship at the end? Seemed like a stupid move!

posted 8 years ago by WWu777
3 replies | jump to latest

There's something I don't get about this story. At the end, when Fletcher Christian and the mutineers go to Pitcairn island because it's not charted on British naval maps, making it the perfect hideout, why do they then burn the HMS Bounty ship? Isn't that the stupidest move, to burn a big valuable ship like that and strand yourself on an island with no way out? Seems like a totally stupid decision. So what was the logic of it? Just so passing ships wouldn't see it and figure out that they were there? Doesn't seem like a wise move either way, since with the ship at least they had a fighting chance to escape or move if need be.

The benefit of destroying it seemed far less than the benefit of having a ship that gave you mobility and means of escape and travel. And the consequence of destroying it seems far greater than the consequence of keeping it. So the logic behind burning it seemed horrible. I would never have done that if I were them. Besides, such a ship was very valuable and hard to attain, so it could have been sold for a lot of money, treasure or gold too.

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[–] Rascar-Capac 8 years ago

Didn't you pay attention? Fletcher Christian promotes for all of them to give up the island, go back on board and take the journey home to England. He wants them to argue their case at the Royal Court and that way bring to the public that Bligh was a monster of a captain.
Mills and the others are shocked, as they feel, that they all will end up hanged then, but answer, that they want to think over it. The same night they set fire on the ship to make sure, no one ever is to leave the island again.
As confessed, they feared he would eventually bring them on board against her will. It's only before Christian dies, they realize, that they were led by a misjudgment of Christians charakter.
As Fletcher resigns before dying: "It wasn't your fault Mills. Bligh left his mark on all of us!"

[–] mariakelly-04164 8 years ago

Part of the reason that Mills and company were so afraid of what would happen to them if they went back to England was simple. They knew that they would be hanged because they came from the lower classes.

Back then people from the lower classes would be sent to Australia as indentured servants for stealing something as minor as stealing food.

[–] mariakelly-04164 7 years ago

Yes, it's hard to believe that such an extreme punishment for so minor an offence. So if a poor person could be sent to the other side of the world as a slave for stealing food, imagine how much worse the penalty for mutiny would be.

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