Response Journal Week 1- Gabi

"This savage was the only person who seemed to notice my entrance; because he was the only one who could not read, and, therefore, was not reading those frigid inscriptions on the wall." (44)
Queequeg is the most unique character introduced thus far: his dark features, his tattoos, the heads he carries around all lead one to think of him as one apart from his fellow seamen and Ishmael. While I might be over-analyzing this passage I feel the need to respond to it because it stood out to me with such distinction. Queequeg is not affected by the tragic tablets because he cannot read them— he is unblemished by what concerns most people because he is in a world of his own. While he has only just been introduced, his serenity and self-possession would seem to allow him to live his life with purity and honesty. He is even an influence on Ishmael whose heart is soothed by his presence. In reading, I tried not to let myself be corrupted by pre-conceived notions. In school we have time and time again mentioned the “noble savage” and what a irresponsible image it is. It reduces a people to a gross idealization, simultaneously discrediting them. I had to block these thoughts from my mind as I let myself be taken by Melville’s writing (I hope to read Moby Dick as if I had never heard of it before and without any judgment. It’s almost as if I want to, while in the process of reading it, absorb what Melville writes as if it were absolute truth. Only after I finish reading will I attempt to analyze and maybe question.) I allowed myself to be awed by Queequeg and his tattoos. When I sat down to think about what I had read however I began to attack Melville. I probably shouldn’t be too hard on him. He was after all, like all of us, a product of his times. As politically incorrect as Queequeg’s character is, it highlights a major theme (one that I believe will reoccur throughout the story). Father Mapple touches on it in his epic sermon:
" Woe to him who seeks to please rather than to appall! Woe to him whose good name is more to him that goodness... Yea, woe to him who, as the great Pilot Paul has it, while preaching to others is himself a castaway!" (53)
One reason Queequeg is so idealized is because he represents authenticity. In the face of a society that is dominated by phoniness, this authenticity is very important. The sea might symbolize an escape from what is fake. Men are drawn to the sea (as in the beginning of the book) because it is genuine and unforgiving (at least in Melville’s romantic interpretation of it).
One thing that puzzled me a little bit was Jonah’s story. He is known for attempting to escape God because he doesn’t want to prophecy and do the will of God. He escapes to the ocean, paying for his passage. While a key difference between Ishmael and Jonah would be that the former is supposedly a real sea man with no need to pay his for his passage, both men are running to the sea, one escaping God and the other his society, seeking the freedom and authenticity of the ocean.
Last but not least, as we mentioned in our last meeting comedy is a very important component of Ishmael’s narrative. This was blatantly obvious from the first page, however I was pleasantly surprised when he outright mentioned the importance of humor and “a good laugh.” (39) In a feeble attempt to weave things together I would argue that Melville appreciates the value of humor because it tends towards unpretentiousness, a form of authenticity.