“They were one man, not thirty. For as the one ship that held them all; thought it was put together of all contrasting things–oak, and maple, and pine wood; iron, and pitch, and hemp–yet all these ran into each other in the one concrete hull, which shot on its way, both balanced and directed by the long central keel; even so, all the individualities of the crew, this man’s valor, that man’s fear, guilt, and guiltlessness, all varieties were welded into oneness, and were all directed to that fatal goal which Ahab their one lord and keel did point to.” (606)
What a loaded chunk of a paragraph! I think what caught my eye was essentially the fact that the language of the chapter made everyone on the whaleboats like one functioning unit. Throughout the entire novel, we’ve had instances of descriptions like this, but it is only when chasing the titular whale Moby Dick does this language become stronger in my opinion. Pointing out the “individualities” of the crew, all of these components that make a human, only to then describe the fact that they bleed together to worship and keel down to Ahab, it’s honestly a little admirable yet scary. Working together as a unit seems like a no brainer when it comes to the whaling industry, as its perils and dangers are ever clear. The line “They were one man, not thirty.” doesn’t seem like it feels true, but the ship itself melds together because in that moment, everyone is focused on the singular “fatal goal” that spells doom.
They all agreed long long ago to pledge themselves to Ahab, their “one lord.” Additionally, being “welded”, that is combined to become a harmonious whole or actively melted by heat to be fused together emphasizes the idea that everyone is dead set on that singular goal. The unison is uncanny, as all walks of life on the ship join together. I think it sounds fairly poetic, as we all know it spells out the eventual fate of the Pequod by the fins of Moby Dick.
This is certainly the foundation for a longer close reading. You do a great job close reading the passage to push towards an understanding of what it doing and saying: this is not the fault of a singular man but of a singular unit. I think your language in your title– hivemind– uses a contemporary word to accurately describe what might be the actual source of the tragedy here…
This definitely felt like the strongest moment of unification in Ahab’s goal mostly because they are actively in the chase. This hivemind and welded crew has constantly been referred to as such: “Are they not one and all with Ahab” (178), but I think what really works here is that it’s not just the crew that has been welded together, but the ship itself. All the “contrasting things… directed to that fatal goal which Ahab their one lord and keel did point to” includes their separate ideas thoughts; but in holding onto this obsessive goal, their individualities and ability to think for themselves fades away. The introduction for this novel also gives an explanation as to why people tend to resort to the hivemind as “all have a reservoir of pain that can be tapped by a leader who elevates common resentment to the uncommon level of heroic virtue. Like Ahab, every man feels maimed and hopes to find relief by assigning blame” (xxii). It reminded me of Full Metal Jacket when the drill instructor says something along the lines of “marines die, but the Marine Corps lives forever. Which means you live forever.” It’s the same idea of stripping your fears, shames, and guilts, but also your individuality to serve this goal greater than yourself.