In the many chapters that we read over the last few weeks, I noticed that Ishmael focuses on his philosophical thoughts in the midst of the action that is occurring in the book. At many instances, Ishmael interludes a scene of action, despite the rarity of one, to reflect his abstract theories of the action taking place. Perhaps this is because Ishmael is not a skillful whaler but an intellectual seeking to share his thoughts. Or maybe it’s because Melville is using Ishmael to display his understanding of whaling that wouldn’t necessarily be considered by an actual whaler.
One of Ishmael’s ideas that seems to be reoccurring is his immense respect for the whale. With all the processes the crew goes through of catching the whale, cutting the whale etc., Ishmael finds an underlying symbolic meaning. Ishmael dedicates entire chapters to this creature that demonstrate the extraordinary power the whale holds. In Chapter 69 “The Funeral,” Ishmael describes the whale’s “funeral” as “mocking” and a dishonor to the whale. He describes the whale’s dominance after death. “Thus while in life the great whale’s body may have been a real terror to his foes, in his death his ghost becomes powerless panic to the world” (248). This idea ties in with the theological aspect of Moby-Dick. Ishmael continuously references religion and philosophies in the text. He mentions Judaism in both Chapter 67 and Chapter 70 by referring to their Saturday night as “Sabbath” and discussing the Jewish heroine, Judith. Ishmael believes the whale has godly powers and that it should be feared as any deity would. The whale is driven by fate and carries out what is predestined. In “The Prairie,” Ishmael uses physiognomy (the art of judging human character from facial features) and phrenology (the study of the shape of the skull, based on the belief that it reveals character and mental capacity) to study the whale. He comments that the brow of the whale indicates it godly characteristics. Ishmael believes that the measure of intelligence should not be measured by a creature’s brain size but it’s spinal cord size. He points in “The Nute” that although the whale’s brain is very small, it’s spinal cord is very long therefore demonstrating it’s power.
In “The Fate of the Ungodly God-Like Man,” Ahab is analyzed. Matthiessen claims that Ahab is the central character in the book. He asserts that Ahab is a tragic hero and compares him to a character that many consider to be a tragic hero, who is also vengeful: Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Melville admired Shakespeare for making Hamlet the pivotal role in his story, as Melville does with Ahab. Melville states, “‘for much the same reason that there is but one planet to one orbit, so can there be but one such original character to work one invention.’” (447). Ahab is both separated from his surroundings while still maintaining control over everyone’s actions. Matthiessen’s comparison between Ahab and Hamlet makes me wonder whether Ahab’s madness is an act as well; an act to get his crew to corporate so that he can achieve his vengeance of the White Whale. However, like all tragic heros, Ahab’s defiance of fate leads to his doom.
Despite Ahab’s isolation, I noticed that dependency is necessary aboard the Pequod. In “Stubb’s Supper,” Ishmael depicts the teamwork that is exhibited on the ship: “And now, as we eighteen men with our thirty-six arms, and one hundred and eighty thumbs and fingers, slowly toiled hour after hour upon that inert, sluggish corpses in the sea;...” (235). This may be why we found the whalers were very open-minded and lacked the racist and discriminating qualities we assumed, living then, they would have had. When Stubb argues with the old, black cook, initially, I thought he was being racist. However, considering Stubb’s respect for Queequeg (who is a whaler of color), I concluded that he was being rude to the cook because of his rank on the ship. The men on the ship are judged by their skill and ability, not by their race or their social class off of the ship. This attitude displayed by Melville is significant because it presents a message of tolerance. A message that needed to be understood by both the people living during Melville’s time and people today.
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