Shan’s Blog

I’m not quite sure how to begin this blog because reading these chapters from Moby Dick was, again, pure torture. But I actually do have one part to focus on, despite the fact that the chapters about the whale as a dish and the whale’s skin are still clouding my brain with boredom.

I feel compelled to talk about Stubb, who, at this point in the book, I find thoroughly annoying. He thinks he’s all high and mighty, and he’s letting his ego get the best of him. After he hunt the whale, he tells the cook to prepare his meal with the meat, and he also tells him to tell the sharks to stop eating the remains of the whale. Um… crazy? I think so. We see Melville’s humor returning as Stubb demands that the cook to “go and talk to ‘em [the sharks]; tell ‘em they are welcome to help themselves civilly, and in moderation, but they must keep quiet.” (ch. 64). Then, as the cook delivers the message, Stubb tells him not to curse at the sharks, because he must not curse while he’s preaching and that’s no way to convert sinners. I think that Stubb’s been on this ship a little too long.

I also have some questions about chapter 71, which I did not fully understand. What I got from it was this: (1) The crew of the Pequod see Gabriel (is he good or bad? I can’t tell), who was spoken about in the Town-Ho’s story, (2) Gabriel warns them of Moby Dick, and (3) Captain Ahab tries to give a letter to Captain Mayhew, but Gabriel catches it instead and throws it back (this I’m not sure about). Anyway, I don’t know what the importance of the letter is, but it was an interesting chapter, and Gabriel is definitely a sketchy character.

I’m beginning to tire of this book… and fast. I don’t know if it’s the pointless chapters about whaling facts (as if – God forbid – I’ll ever need to know any of it in such great detail) or if it’s the long monologues inside Ishmael’s head about… essentially nothing, but I’m getting wearisome. I think there’s only so much you can say about Ishmael’s weird/depressive moods and how psychotic Captain Ahab is (and everyone else on the boat) before it gets old.

But enough about bashing Melville, no matter how much I would like to, because complaining about the book won’t change the way he writes. So what chapter can I talk about that didn’t completely bore and/or confuse me?

Chapter 61: Stubb kills a whale. That was a fairly exciting event, I’ll admit. Stubb must be extremely proud of himself, for getting the first whale, or at least, the first whale that Ishmael tells us has ever been caught. He already had that major confidence boost from his dream, when Captain Ahab kicked him with his ivory leg, and considered himself a wise and blessed man afterwards. While they were trying to hunt the whale, I got this weird mental image of Stubb cheering on his crew, like some sort of cheerleader with pom-poms. I thought the whole scene was ridiculously funny, how he rooted for Tashtego. “Stand up, Tashtego! – give it to him!” I caught sight of Melville’s old humor returning, which I hadn’t seen since the intimate Ishmael-Queequeg cuddling part.

In these chapters that we’ve read, we finally get back to the plot and see some action. However, I am wondering… Did they actually catch any whales? Ishmael seems so excited, that his thoughts kind of seemed scattered everywhere. I couldn’t really follow, but what I did get out of this reading was (1) The white-turban guy is named Fedallah, (2) Ishmael and others have to jump into the water from the boat they were on, for reasons I do not quite understand, and (3) Ahab needed to be supplied with the five extra men because he’s crippled and he needs the help?

But anyway, Fedallah is a weird and mysterious one, and certainly creepy. When they’re all back on the boat, the four Pilipino men all mingle with the crew, but he stays to himself. He is definitely one to watch for, but he doesn’t seem as crazy as Captain Ahab, who stays up on deck all day and all night. He never goes to his hammock, and sleeps while standing and keeping watch. That’s dedication and determination. Everyone else thinks he’s crazy too, which is illustrated in that scene when they meet another boat, and Ahab shouts and asks if they’ve seen a white whale, and they just sail away.

Again, we read more chapters about, essentially, nothing. Chapter 44 basically outlines the entire map, and the route that the Pequod has taken. I could barely get through it, but it does show how dedicated Ahab really is about hunting down Moby Dick. He has a whole chart dedicated to where the white whale has been before, where he might be now, and how The Pequod is going to get there… like an entire plan of attack. He is, without a doubt, mad with vengeance, and extremely obsessive. Then the book goes on and on about sperm whales and their habits, and Sperm Whale Fishery. Melville talks about the history of ships and whales through past centuries, and it was complete torture to read about.

But the chapter before that did catch my interest. In Chapter 43, we overhear a couple of seamen talking, and one is telling the other about how he heard coughing “under the hatches” (where that may be). He says to Cabaco, the one who is not able to hear it, how there must be someone on board that has yet to be seen, and has stayed out of sight. This really gets the imagination going, as to who could be below deck, and what they’re doing and why. It’s extremely creepy when you think about a mysterious someone on the ship.

Finally, in Chapter 47, Ishmael tells of the beginning of the first encounter with a sperm whale (finally). Tashtego spots a whale, and its interesting to see how the whole ship just kind of bursts into action. “The sailors at the fore and mizzen had come down; the line tubs were fixed in their places; the cranes were thrust out; the mainyard was backed, and the three boats swung over the sea like three samphire baskets over high cliffs.” The chapter ends with Ahab walking out with none other than the five phantoms that Ishmael had seen going aboard, which is kind of random, but extremely interesting.

Basically, I Become a Transparent Eyeball is talking about nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson goes on and on about nature, and how it’s so great. Truthfully, I didn’t like this poem at all, and the line “I become a transparent eyeball; I am nothing; I see all…” seems really awkward and sketchy to me. It’s a weird way of phrasing it, although I guess it’s just poetic license.

A transparent eyeball would be an eyeball that a person could see through, and it wouldn’t be anything. It would be essentially nothing, and so he becomes nothing in comparison to what nature provides. He says that he becomes egoless while surrounded by nature, and that even his closest friends have no meaning anymore. All other relationships in effect become “foreign and accidental.” The only love that is really important to him is the love of this immortal beauty of nature.

The last few lines mean that, when he lets go of all his worries and becomes merely an observer, he is able to take in all the true beauty of nature around him. In the wilderness, he finds something better and more intimate than he would have ever found if he were in a town, surrounded by people and human life. In the world around him, he is able to see a different setting and is able to see it for its beauty and meaning.

—

The American Scholar was extremely long, and I felt it was a bit repetitive in some points. However, the overall theme was good, about how all men are equal and are, essentially, one. He illustrates how everyone should just go and embrace their dreams and goals, and just experience new adventures. This reminds me a lot of Ishmael, who is always looking for something new to do, and goes to sea on a whim and is able to focus on random little things.

Although the ideas that Emerson portrays are morals that people should live by, it’s not that easy. People just can’t pack up their things and take a train to any place they want to go. It’s hard for people to experience new things or do what they love if they don’t have the means or the opportunities of getting there. Not everyone has the freedoms and luxuries that others may have.

I really did not understand these two chapters, and really, the only thing I got out of it was the story of Captain Ahab losing his leg to the white whale, Moby Dick. Also, the book mentions the detail of Moby Dick’s deformed lower jaw, which reminds me of the fact that Ahab’s fake leg is supposedly made of a whale’s jaw… but I distinctly remember it being a sperm whale’s jaw. Is Moby Dick a sperm whale? If so, there’s probably a connection there.

However, there was a quote that I really liked, in chapter 41, about Ahab. “… all my means sane, my motive and my object mad.” I think this pretty much summed up Captain Ahab’s whole quest to get his revenge, because his goal is pretty crazy. There’s nothing wrong with getting a crew and a ship out on the ocean, though. That part of it is pretty normal, but the reason why he has everyone out there is the insane part.  

But besides that, I didn’t really pick up on anything else. To be perfectly honest, I skimmed a lot… and didn’t understand a lot. It was too much for my brain to handle, which sounds really bad, but it was extreme torture getting through those two chapters. I apologize for bashing Melville right now.

The first thing I noticed in these chapters was the fact that Melville was beginning to write in play form, like when (in the parenthesis) he says who the characters are in the scene and what they’re doing. It’s not until chapter 40 that he fully begins to write like he’s creating a play, with the different people and their dialogue.

But before that, in the other chapters, we get into the heads of Captain Ahab, Stubb, and Starbuck. From Ahab’s point of view, we learn that he knows that people think he’s mad, but what was interesting (and a little creepy) was how he said that he wasn’t mad, he was actually demonic. “I am madness maddened!” He mentions the prophecy by Elijah, that Ahab was supposed to be dismembered, but he’s determined to dismember his dismemberer (Moby Dick).

The next chapter is from Starbuck’s perspective. He’s worried about Ahab, and thinks he’s extremely evil. He’s not happy with the fact that Ahab is bringing out this crew for revenge on one whale. He also says, “I think I see his imperious end; but I feel that I must help him to it.” Does this mean that Starbuck wouldn’t mind being the cause of Ahab’s death? Or at least helping him to his death? Is Starbuck planning something against the captain?

Chapter 39 was from Stubb’s point of view. He’s still gloating about how he knows everything and is super wise because of the dream he had had about Ahab kicking him. But in his thoughts, he finds it humorous that Starbuck is worrying over Ahab, just like he had that night when Ahab called him a dog. So basically, we have the psychotic Captain Ahab, the plotting and concerned Starbuck, and the egotistical chatterbox, Stubb.

In these chapters, Ishmael kind of disappears. We don’t see everything that goes on from his perspective anymore. It’s a bit weird, how Melville suddenly jumps to 3^rd person, and also kind of disappointing because I think Ishmael’s input during some of the scenes would have been entertaining to read.

We see more of Captain Ahab, and learn that he enjoys going out on deck at night, and just walking around and taking in the fresh air. During this, I can see why it wouldn’t make sense to have Ishmael be the narrator, because it’d be kind of creepy if he was walking around at night, stalking the captain. Anyway, one night, Stubb joins him, and makes a joke about Ahab walking the plank, to which Ahab calls him a dog. Stubb defends himself, and Ahaba calls him a donkey, a mule, and an ass. I found this surprising (and a little humorous) because I always imagined Ahab like the type of mysterious, wise old man who would speak in riddles, but not get easily irritated to the point of calling someone names. After, Stubb leaves, defeated, and talks to himself about how queer Ahab is.

Then the next day, Stubb relates to Flask a dream that he had had, in which Ahab kicked him with his fake leg. Stubb, in turns, kicks him back, but knocks the fake leg right off, and Ahab turns into some kind of indestructible pyramid-being. Stubb keeps kicking, until a merman appears and tells him to stop, because being kicked by Ahab’s beautiful ivory leg was really an honor. Stubb is convinced he’s a wiser man because of this dream.

We also hear a mention of Moby-Dick by Captain Ahab in these chapters. He tells all the crew to look for whales, especially a white one. “If ye see a white one, split your lungs for him!” (ch. 31). I’m assuming this means that, if anyone spots a white whale, they should yell as loud as they can until their lungs, metaphorically, split open.

These chapters are mainly with Queequeg and Ishmael getting settled on the Pequod. First, however, we see the two of them approaching the boat, and Ishmael remarks on the four or five sailors that he sees ahead of them. We encounter Elijah (yet again) who makes things even more mysterious and challenges Ishmael to find any one of the men who he had seen supposedly board the ship. When they are aboard, none of them are to be found.

This makes the reader suspicious of the boat, and makes the whole legend of Ahab even more questionable. What happened to the sailors that Ishmael saw? And when Ishmael asks Queequeg, the harpooner does not recall them. It makes the reader wonder what he had really seen, or if he had just hallucinated, and why Elijah had seen them too, but not Queequeg. Perhaps it’s a foreshadow of what is to happen? Although I can’t really think of what it would be foreshadowing. The ghostly group of seamen is never mentioned again.

Also, there was a whole (short) chapter dedicated to one of the sailors, Bulkington. We first see him in one of the first couple of chapters, when Ishmael was still at the Spouter Inn and he came in with a bunch of other seamen. Ishmael noticed him because he was the only quiet one, who hadn’t really joined in the chaos the others were making. When Ishmael notices him again in chapter twenty-three, I don’t really understand what happened there, if anything did happen.

In the last chapter we read, chapter twenty-eight, we finally meet Ahab. Ishmael doesn’t really encounter him directly, he only sees him on the deck, and so there isn’t much to talk about there. What I did find interesting, though, was the fact that it was said that Captain Ahab’s fake leg (the one to replace the real leg he had lost to the whale) was made of a sperm whale’s jaw bone. This just gives him more of an eerie appearance, on top of what Elijah had warned about him.

In these chapters, we are introduced to three more characters – Captain Bildad, Captain Peleg, and Captain Ahab (although we never actually see him). When Ishmael goes to the ship, The Pequod, to ask if he can join their crew, he first meets Captain Peleg, who questions him before sending him down to Captain Bildad, where they argue about Ishmael’s pay. They tell him about Captain Ahab, who’s name refers to a historical (and religious?) man named Ahab, who was a crown king, but also a cruel person. They tell Ishmael never to bring up the origin of Ahab’s name, because it’s not his fault he was named after a wicked man, and that his name has nothing to do with his character.

What’s also interesting about the character of Captain Ahab is the fact that he only has one leg – the other was swallowed by a whale. As Captain Peleg tells Ishmael, “… it was devoured, chewed up, crunched by the monstrousest parmacetty that ever chipped a boat!” (ch. 16) This explains a lot to the reader, and tells us why Captain Ahab would be so set on hunting one particular whale, Moby-Dick. He seems, from what is implied, to be a proud and respected man, so it must have been humiliating when he lost his leg to a whale.

After the incident, it seems like Captain Ahab had gone mad with killing the whale, and Ishmael feels frightened by him, but he also has a sense of sorrow, which shows his compassion and sympathy towards others. He is also awed by this man, even though he has never met him, but he says he cannot describe why.

The most interesting part, I thought, was when Ishmael and Queequeg ran into the stranger on the street, after getting off the Pequod. A man stops them, and warns them of Captain Ahab, who is called Old Thunder. Ishmael tells him that they had just finished signing papers and were part of the crew, and the stranger makes a comment on having sold their souls. When asked, the man tells them that his name is Elijah, which is a reference to the prophet who denounced the king Ahab. Ishmael brushes it off as a joke, and goes on his way. This is definitely foreshadowing the character of Captain Ahab and his story. When Ishmael finally gets to meet him, then I think the warnings will begin to come true.