At the end of Chapter 96 of Moby-Dick, Ishmael has one of his most memorable lines: “There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness… And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls…” It’s classic Ishmael, one minute he’s staring into the flames of the try-works, basically hypnotized, and the next he’s launching into a deep reflection about human nature and the strange value of suffering.

What he’s really getting at is that not all pain is the same. Some kinds of sadness actually teach you something, and some kinds push you right up to the edge of insanity. But Ishmael suggests that those extreme states aren’t always bad. For certain people, people whose minds naturally operate on a different level, those dark places can still be part of an elevated landscape. That’s where the image of the Catskill eagle comes in: a creature that can dive into the darkest ravines and then soar back into the sun.

The key point is that even when the eagle is in the gorge, it’s still in the mountains. Its “lowest swoop” is still higher than what most other birds ever reach. Ishmael is basically saying that for some exceptional souls, their lows are still more meaningful, and more intense, than the highs of ordinary life.

And of course, this is Ishmael’s indirect way of talking about Ahab. Ahab may be completely consumed by his obsession. He may be “forever in the gorge,” stuck in madness and vengeance. But Ishmael hints that even that madness comes from a kind of greatness. Ahab’s downfall, in its own twisted way, feels more significant than the regular, peaceful, uneventful lives of the average person.

There’s also a subtle warning here. Ishmael is telling himself, and the audience, not to get lost in fantasy or despair. Staring too long into the fire, or into your own thoughts, can pull you somewhere dangerous. But at the same time, he’s acknowledging that confronting darkness can sharpen you, if you’re built for it.

It’s a reminder that insight often comes from uncomfortable places, and that some souls simply fly higher, even when they’re at their lowest.