Herman Melville: Sailor, Writer, Metaphysician
There are certain books in the English Language canon, that most people have heard of, but few have actually read. Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” springs to mind, James Joyce’s “Ulysses”, and then there is Melville’s “Moby Dick”.
A woodcut showing a sperm whale being hunted by whalers, c 1870.
“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts.”
For those who haven’t read it, the story follows the journey of Ishmael, a sailor who joins the whaling ship Pequod, captained by the enigmatic and monomaniacal Captain Ahab. As the story unfolds, Ishmael introduces the diverse crew of the Pequod and shares their experiences at sea. Ahab is driven by a singular obsession: to hunt and kill Moby Dick, a massive white whale that had previously destroyed Ahab's ship and bitten off his leg. The novel explores themes of obsession, revenge, and the struggle against nature, as Ahab's pursuit of the whale becomes increasingly perilous and consuming for both him and his crew.
As the Pequod sails across the oceans, the tension builds, and Ahab's fixation on Moby Dick intensifies, leading to confrontations with other ships and the dangers of the sea. The crew grapples with their loyalty to Ahab and the moral implications of his quest. Ultimately, the climax occurs when the Pequod finally encounters Moby Dick, resulting in a catastrophic battle. The whale wreaks havoc on the ship, leading to its destruction and the death of most of the crew. Ishmael survives by clinging to a floating piece of wreckage, ultimately being rescued. The novel concludes with Ishmael as the sole survivor, left to reflect on the futility of Ahab's obsession and the tragic consequences of humanity's struggle against nature.
But what of the man behind the book? This week I came across this 30 minute talk by Dr. Mary K. Bercaw Edwards for the Nantucket Historical Association. It won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but I loved it. Mary’s knowledge is deep and vibrant. That becomes less surprising when we learn that she spends her summers working high aloft on Mystic Seaport Museum’s square-rigged ships. She was a crew member on the 38th Voyage of the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. A Coast Guard-licensed captain, she has 58,000 miles at sea, all under sail.