Melville's detailed, though often scientifically erroneous, descriptions of cetacean anatomy demonstrate his preference for experiential, rather than learned, knowledge. This value is reflected in his use of story truth, where he hyperbolizes reality until it is intentionally difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. In a dramatic, action-filled tale like Moby-Dick, Melville chooses to dedicate a significant portion of his book to seemingly unrelated observations about whales. From Chapter 32's fourteen pages on its namesake, cetology, to the two full chapters describing whale heads ("The Sperm Whale's Head--Contrasted View" and "The Right Whale's Head--Contrasted View"), Melville does not shy away from inundating his presumably non-expert …show more content…
Melville, who himself voyaged to the South Seas on a whaling ship called the Acushnet, ridicules the inaccuracies riddled throughout the depictions of whales done by those without firsthand experience. In the chapter entitled "Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales," Melville acknowledges, but then accounts for, the shortcomings of zoologist Frederick Cuvier's squash-like whale by writing: "He never had the benefit of a whaling voyage" (Melville 314). He continues to express his displeasure at most attempts to capture the whale on paper, listing painter after writer after scientist who missed the mark: "The sperm whale...lives not complete in any literature" (Melville 170-171). Eventually Melville declares "there is no earthly way of finding out what the whale really looks like," but that one "can derive a tolerable idea...by going a whaling" for his or herself. (Melville 315-316). Ironically, Melville nonetheless spends page after page informing the reader about everything from the whale's eyes, which curiously sit on either side of its face, to the surprising smallness of its …show more content…
Every chapter about whaling, from how to eat a whale to the names of heroic whalers, brings the reader closer, inch by inch, to a world they cannot otherwise experience on their own. They make the reader feel more connected to a story brimming with technicalities and sailor jargon that might, if left unexplained, be off-putting. While Melville's cetology lessons may have been entertaining and informative for his reader at the time, they also lay an essential, factual foundation upon which he can build the fantasy of the legend of Moby Dick. Melville provides encyclopedic, overwhelming lists of facts, but on occasion his facts are less than truthful, especially with regard to the White Whale. He routinely exaggerates the whale's dimensions from those given in his reference books, attempting to make the generally peaceful sperm whale seem more ferocious. To the reader, it should not matter whether or not Moby Dick is a scientifically accurate account of whale
On the first day the man on watch was sniffing the air and he declared that the whale must be near and Captain Ahab was frantic with excitement, constantly changing their course slightly during the day. Finally they spotted the white whale, and they left the ship into a small boat to hunt him. Moby Dick then wrecked their boat, but luckily nobody died.
Image sitting on the beach one July morning. The sun is beaming down and decide to go for a swim. As you approach the water, you see a whale unusually close. You begin to get nervous as it continues to approach the shore. However, you aren’t worried because you know that they are confined to the sea. As the whale comes near you can see it clearly. Just as you think that it will turn around, the whale walks out of the ocean!
In the Book of Jonah and Chapter 9, “The Sermon” in Moby-Dick, there are similarities and differences in diction, descriptions, and graphics. These two brilliant pieces of literature use diction to provide the reader with a clear understanding of the important religious roles involved in the life of a sailor. With the help of Melville and the Book of Jonah, the reader is brought back in the past to relive these events as they happened. What is most intriguing is the fact that through the Book of Jonah and “The Sermon”, detailed descriptions allow the reader to see Jonah’s experience with God and the “fish” through two different perspectives. The use of graphics support the writer’s descriptions, while creating a clear picture of Jonah’s experience with God and what lies in the future for the sailors.
In conclusion, this essay analyzes the similarities and differences of the two stories written by Herman Melville, Billy Budd and Bartleby. The settings, characters, and endings in the two stories reveal very interesting comparisons and contrasts. The comparison and contrast also includes the interpretation of the symbolism that Melville used in his two stories. The characters, Billy and Bartleby, could even be considered autobiographical representatives of Herman Melville.
The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.
Before exploring Ishmael, Ahab, and Moby Dick and their Biblical counterparts, it is important to understand Melville's background. He grew up as a baptized Calvinist in the Dutch Reformed Church. His parents trained him to obey God at all times, even if God’s commands seem unjust and cruel. However, he quickly turned against his faith after his father died. During his travels, he witnessed diseases, catastrophes, and hatred throughou...
Before affiliating the crew aboard the ship with Moby Dick, there are some comparisons to be made between them and ocean inhabitants in general. While living in the ocean environment the men begin to acquire the same survival techniques as some of the organisms in the ocean. The manner in which the whalers go about slaughtering the whales is much like the way that the sharks react to the whale carcass being held stagnate in the water. "....because such incalculable hosts of sharks gather round the moored carcass, that were he left so for six hours, say, on a stretch, little more that the skeleton would be visible by mornong"(Melville 328). These sharks are savages in the face of sustenance. In most cases the sheer size of the whale prohibits it from being captured and consumed by the sharks. The only chance that they have at these huge beasts is when they are slung along side the whaling ships. Once they have their opening to this plethora of meat it becomes a barbaric feeding frenzy. These actions of the sharks reflect the actions of the whalers when taking part in the slaying of a whale. "Soon ranging up by his flank, Stubb, firmly planting his knee in the clumsy cleat, darted dart after dart into the flying gish.
In Chapter 69, the narrator vividly describes the image of a recently captured, decapitated sperm whale bleakly floating about near the Pequod while sharks and birds feast upon its dead remains. Despite the degrading imagery of, “the air above vexed with rapacious flights of screaming fowls, whose beaks are like so many insulting poniards in the whale,” the whale has still, “not perceptibly lost anything in bulk...it is still colossal,” (257). In the spite of its crude carcass, there is still a human wonderment in regards to the indisputable massivity of the whale. However, the whale is not considered to be enormous just because of its literal size, but also because of the long-lasting effect its dead body will have on future ship encounters. It is the duty of a ship captain to avoid steering a ship into dangerous territory--the most common of which would be large rocks near the shore. In the lines, “...the whale’s unharming corpse, with trembling fingers is set down in the log-- shoals, rocks, and breakers hereabouts: beware!”, (257), the sperm whale’s carcass is often mistaken for rocks and, so, it necessarily follows that, “for years afterwards, perhaps, ships shun the place; leaping over it as silly sheep leap over a vacuum…” (257). The paragraph continues with the lines, “there’s your law of precedents; there’s your utility of traditions; there’s the story of your obstinate survival of old beliefs never bottomed on the earth…” (257), which reinforce the idea that since the sperm whale is already seen as being frightening and mysterious, its dead body ensues the same kinds of paranoid, uneasy thoughts. So, although ships
Herman Melville’s stories of Moby Dick and Bartleby share a stark number of similarities and differences. Certain aspects of each piece seem to compliment each other, giving the reader insight to the underlying themes and images. There are three concepts that pervade the two stories making them build upon each other. In both Moby Dick and Bartleby the main characters must learn how to deal with an antagonist, decide how involved they are in their professions, and come to terms with a lack of resolution.
The skin of the whale is a simple yet compelling organ of this aquatic mammal. As discussed by Herman Melville in Chapter 68, "The Blanket," true whale skin is difficult to distinguish due to its extensive scope. From the thick, fatty, and tough blubber found inside the whale to the thin sheets of a transparent skin-like substance residing on the outermost layer of tissue, it is acceptable to classify this entire coat of flesh as its skin. Blubber, which sits directly underneath the dermis of the whale, is an insulating cushion of fat critical to the regulation of the mammal's body temperature. Moreover, the intricate network of tissue-fibers in blubber aid in the whale's overall hydrodynamics, facilitating the creature's ability to perform
Melville includes this Gam structurally in order to promote both the economic and thematic elements of whaling- setting a basis for each level of interpretation of the novel to further develop. Melville includes the Jungfrau Gam to thematically emphasize Ahab’s limited mental capacity and the notion of searching for the truth, or inscrutable meaning of reality, in the wrong places. Ahab, despite knowing that the Jungfrau is extremely inexperienced and limited in knowledge regarding whales, continues to “abruptly accost” the Jungfrau’s captain regarding Moby Dick, of whom they are ignorant to (277). Ahab’s increased isolation and obsession with Moby Dick encourages his lack of judgment and decreased cognitive capacity. Melville seeks to endorse the consequences of becoming consumed with monomania that simple distinctions become impossible and isolation increases. Moreover, Ahab leaves the Jungfrau to chase a finback whale, which is nearly impossible to catch. Although Ahab can recognize the foolish task of this chase, he cannot recognize that his own task is unobtainable. Furthermore, the economic view that the Jungfrau has been unsuccessful reflects Ahab’s quest, in which his undying ambition to uncover the meaning of reality through Moby Dick has the potential to turn up empty, yielding no
This statement in the beginning of the novel introduces the reader to the coffin imagery that Melville uses throughout Moby-Dick and serves as the metaphor for transformative mixture throughout this paper.
In the Heart of the Sea In his Novel, In the heart of the Sea, Nathaniel Philbrick beautifully reconstructs the sinking of the Whaleship Essex and describes the struggle of its crew to survive in open whaleboats to reach to safety. The story was based on the true event of Whaleship Essex and her crew. This novel seems to be greatly influenced by the 19th century classic MOBY DICK, due to the reason that Herman Melville had written his famous novel MOBY DICK after inspiring the real life event of Whaleship Essex. In the heart of the sea is the story of a Whaleship Essex that was attacked by a bull Sperm Whale almost 85 feet in length. This attack destroys and sinks the ship, stranding the crew in three whaleboats. The crew managed to salvage some provisions and some water and the quick thinking of the steward also helped them to save some navigational tools but they were not enough. They decided to sail back east to South America instead of sailing west to any of several pacific islands. It seems that Captain George Pollard was not the suitable leader for this challenge. He did not accept inputs from his officers and so they have to cover 3,000 miles, which took 93 days in hunger, thirst and death as the trade winds and storms blew them farther and farther from their destination. First mate Owen Chase might have been the better leader, however he was responsible for some poor decisions too. It is difficult to judge who is better leader among them as the world mostly relied on Chase’s narrative of the Wreck of Whaleship Essex. Philbrick also uses Chase narratives but relied more on a recently uncovered account of fourteen year old Cabin boy who was also aboard when Whale Struck the ship. Philbrick interweaves his e...
At first glance, Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, appears to be the story of a man, his captain, and the whale that they quest to destroy. But a closer look reveals the author’s intense look at several metaphysical ideologies. He explores some of the most ponderous quandaries of his time, among these being the existence of evil, knowledge of the self and the existential, and the possibility of a determined fate. All of these were questions which philosophers had dealt with and written about, but Melville took it to a new level: not only writing about these things, but also doing so in a lovely poetic language backed by a tale packed with intrigue. He explores the general existence of evil in his antagonist, the white whale, and through the general malice that nature presents to humans throughout the novel. The narrator, Ishmael, gains a lot of knowledge about himself through his experiences on the whaling voyage, where he also is able to learn much about the phenomenon of existence itself. Also, through Captain Ahab, he sees more about the existence of man and the things that exist within man’s heart. Especially through Ahab and his ongoing quest for the white whale, and also in general conversation amongst the whalers, the issue of fate and whether one’s destiny is predetermined are addressed in great detail, with much thought and insight interpolated from the author’s own viewpoints on the subject.
One might say we are presented with two fish stories in looking at Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, a marlin in the former and a whale in the latter. However, both of these animals are symbolic of the struggle their hunters face to find dignity and meaning in the face of a nihilistic universe in Hemingway and a fatalistic one in Melville. While both men will be unable to conquer the forces of the universe against them, neither will either man be conquered by them because of their refusal to yield to these insurmountable forces. However, Santiago gains a measure of peace and understanding about existence from his struggles, while Ahab leaves the world as he found it without any greater insight.