Silent War Machine
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Silent War Machine
Since the beginning of man, people have been fighting for what they want. Tom Clancy shows that through his main character, Marko Ramius, who was doing everything he could to save his crew from the grip of Communism. In Clancy’s novel The Hunt for Red October, Clancy depicts that what someone will do to fight for their freedom.
Tom Clancy was born on April 12th 1947 in Baltimore,
Maryland. He and his parents, a mail carrier and a credit employee lived
a normal life for all of Clancys childhood. After graduating from high school in Baltimore, Clancy attended Loyola College in his hometown, where he majored in English. Tom graduated from college in 1969 and soon thereafter married Wanda Thomas. Wanda was an insurance agency manager and Tom joined in the business. Although Clancy wanted a career in the military, he was denied due to very poor eyesight. He became an insurance broker in the city of Baltimore and then in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1973 Tom joined the O.F. Bowen Agency, and later became part owner in 1980. Throughout his life Clancy maintained an interest in the armed forces.
Tom Clancys “The Hunt for Red October” is a thriller that goes into the life of a Soviet submarine captain who lost his wife to a drunken Russian surgeon. This tragic case of negligence was ignored because the surgeon was the son of a communist party high official. The loss of his wife has caused Captain Marko Radius’s hatred of the corrupt U.S.S.R. for years. But now, Ramius has the chance to take action. Captain Ramius has been given command of the newest Soviet prototype sub, the Typhoon-class missile submarine. When the Americans are given photographs of it, they are extremely curious as to why it is so special. Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst, talks with a friend, who thinks that its equipped with a new engine that can make it run virtually silent, and with such a device, they can position themselves on any coastal city and launch their missiles and not give their target any warning. Marko Ramius, the subs captain kills their political officer after they open their orders, which basically have them conducting routine maneuvers, but he kills him and burns their orders and replaces the orders. He then tells the crew that they are going to test their new engine by positioning themselves by New York and run missile drills. Ryan is then called by his boss to attend a briefing that deals with Red October. At this briefing, they discover that Ramius sent a letter to a high ranking Soviet official, who after reading the letter went to meet with the Soviet Premier and it was shortly after that meeting that the Soviet navy was deployed to find Red October and sink it. Everyone assumes that Ramius has turned rogue but Ryan who once did research on Ramius assumes that he might be trying to defect. While everyone dismisses him, the National Security Adviser tells Ryan to go out there and find out for sure if he is right because once Ramius is in position to fire his missiles they have take him out. Ryan reluctantly goes and not used to fieldwork, has a hard time coping with the sea. At the same time someone in the Red October crew knows that Ramius has deviated from his assignment and is doing what he can to stop him.
Many people have said great things about Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October. Ronald Reagan said that this book was “The perfect yarn” after reading it. With this big endorsement, Clancy wrote four other novels with the protagonist Jack Ryan in them. Louis Menand says that in The Hunt for Red October:
“Clancy introduces