Rat King (novel)

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Rattenkönig (English original title King Rat ) is a first novel published by James Clavell in 1962 and filmed in 1965 under the title They called him King , in which he describes the struggle of the Allied prisoners for survival in a Japanese prison camp in Singapore . In the novel, James Clavell processes his own experiences in the Changi prisoner of war camp and one of the main characters, Peter Marlowe, is based on himself.

The novel is the first published, chronologically fourth part of the six-part Asia series.

action

Peter Marlowe is a British RAF pilot who hid in a village on Java for six months in 1942 , but ended up being a prisoner of war. It is now early 1945 and he has been relocated to Changi for a year. Because of his knowledge of Malay acquired on Java, he is noticed by the "King", an American corporal and the most successful black market trader Changis, who tries to forge a friendship with him that was initially inspired by business. Despite cultural differences, there is actually a certain familiarity between the two and King soon pulls Marlowe deep into his many businesses.

While King keeps his life and that of the people working for and with him comparatively comfortable with the trade in information, food, clothing and the few remaining valuables, which is prohibited by the Japanese, all other prisoners suffer from malnutrition, illness and have no proper clothing. There is only one increase to Changi: the Utram Road prison, from where the convicts return only as living corpses. In spite of his completely insignificant military position, King has become an important power factor in the prison camp, which even higher officers approach to arrange business with the Korean guards and residents of the nearest village.

The prisoners' struggle for survival is shown in its extremes. While some stand up courageously and compassionately for their comrades, others steal food from their fellow prisoners and do not shy away from violence against one another. Even the highest officers conspire to systematically remove food from the distribution.

Because of his success, King is being persecuted increasingly obsessively by the camp's military policeman Robin Gray. Gray tries to maintain military discipline in the camp and feels provoked by King and Marlowe's open disregard for Japanese camp rules. Gray, who comes from a working-class family, despises and envies the old British military aristocracy , which includes Marlowe, and tries to work his way up just by exploiting his position and strictly following the rules.

In the course of the narrative, King and Marlowe come very close through their joint ventures and Marlowe learns from King above all the appreciation of others for their work, regardless of their social position.

Changi is freed at the end of the novel. The prisoners have known about the Allies' successes for a while through illegally operated radios . The small world with its own rules is falling apart, while the inmates have to clarify themselves and their actions.

characters

Main characters are:

Minor characters:

  • Tex, Max, Dino, Miller, Brough, Byron Jones III; Hut mates and accomplices of the king
  • Colonel Larkin, Major McCoy; Hut mates Marlowe and operator of a radio
  • Cheng Sang; Chinese black market trader
  • Sutra; Head of a small local village near the camp
  • Colonel Smedly-Taylor; senior officer of the British prisoners
  • Steven; Nurses and homosexuals
  • Sergeant Sean Jennison; a former comrade of Marlowe, transvestite and actress in the camp's theater
  • Chaplain Theo Drinkwater; a chaplain who excludes his assistants
  • Adam and Eve; Kings of rats

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