Author Archives: Marley Arreola

Chapter 76: The Inevitable Perils in the Search for Truth: (Moby Dick)

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In the end chapter 76, The Battering Ram, Melville references Friedrich Von Schiller’s poem “The Veiled Image at Sais”:

“But clear Truth is a thing for salamander giants only to encounter; but how small the chances for the provincials then? What befel the weakling youth lifting the dread goddess’s veil at Sais?”

What Melville is saying here, is that humans, in the search of truth are naive and blind to the power of the natural world. When they try to know uncover its secrets, their fate always ends in death. “Lifting the veil of Isis” is an expression to uncover something for you to see it with your own eyes. However, to conquer and own this truth for ourselves is where humans dig their own grave. Melville says that natural forces are so strong that humans would be crushed and it would take some giant salamander to bear them. Salamanders were considered to be borne out of fire, so by Melville, they are the only ones able to withstand the clear and burning truth. With this chapter, Melville basically gives us the ending of the book.

Here is an excerpt from Von Schiller’s poem:

“But what he saw, or what did there befall, his lips disclosed not.

Ever from his heart

Was fled the sweet serenity of life, and the deep anguish dug the early grave…”

Marley Arreola

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Moby Dick

Ch.17: Ramadan

An Awakening that Precedes Ishmael’s Christianity

“Heaven have mercy on us all–Presbyterians and Pagans alike–for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending” (pg. 90).

The above passage in Ch.17, titled “The Ramadan” displays a specific moment in time where Ishmael’ religious beliefs are slowly being questioned. From the moment he meets and becomes close to Queequeg, we see a gradual development in Ishmael’s character. For Ishmael, he grapples with his faith, and Queequeg as a character is a reference point for us to better define Ishmael. 

Ishmael, as a Christian, grew up thinking that his religion is superior. However, in this passage, there is no show of arrogant superiority. Instead, there is a display of the Christian “love thy neighbour”: “Heaven have mercy on us all–Presbyterians and Pagans alike…”. This is a shocking but still nice surprise to us, as Ishmael, having been with Queequeg for some time now, sees his Pagan counterpart as the caring, affectionate, and patient man that he is. He then goes on to say that “we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.” The rest of this line is a clear and humble acknowledgement of both his and other people’s stubbornness and pride in their beliefs. This heady thought might come off as endearing, but there is still an underlying tone of the Christian man who was born a sinner and must work for the Lord’s forgiveness. 

This passage at the beginning of the chapter presents to us Ishmael’s honest effort to be open-minded to another’s religion, as we all gravitate towards different beliefs and ideologies. It is admirable for one man to be strong in his faith, but he will go crazy trying to persuade someone who doesn’t want to follow the same religion. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. The last half of the passage tells us that we all need some kind of help. Some kind of outward belief to make us better. This mustn’t be confused with strictly Christian faith as the only healer, but instead we must search for our own beliefs to find our own mending within them. 

It is crazy to think that a Christian is sharing a bed with a Pagan, but this worldly experience for Ishmael helps to gradually open his eyes beyond the Christian outlook, and in turn, we get some beautiful, introspective passages that clearly depict a development in our protagonist’s character. Queequeg is the mirror for Ishmael, and something inside of him begins to germinate (metaphorically and physically) as he interacts with Queequeg. The above passage is a result of spending time with Queequeg’s oxymoronic character: a tattooed, scruffy, Pagan cannibal. Beyond these labels, he is such a sweet person to Ishmael. Like it was mentioned above, Queequeg’s kind nature allows Ishmael to have these epiphanies about his religion, his feelings, and ultimately, a pure awakening of the soul. This is what it means to be human.

Queequeg’s Ramadan: A Still Ignorant Ishmael

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There is a lot that could be discussed in this week’s writing–as it is a big chunk–however, what I found important to note was Ishmael’s thoughts on this “alien” practice of Queequeg’s.

Traditionally. Ramadan is a focused act of fasting, prayer, and conscious acts of compassion towards others. What we see with Queequeg here though, is fasting and prayer as he sits on his hams in their cold and dark room–his wooden doll “Yojo” on top of his head. Ishmael is aware that Queequeg is practicing this in his room, and initially think of himself right to not disturb his comrade. Although, Ishmael becomes increasingly worried and anxious that maybe his comrade might have had a stroke or been overcome by apoplexy.

What I specifically want to point out is Ishmael’s conflicting ideology of religious practices, despite having “the greatest respect towards everybody’s religious obligations, never mind how comical, and could not find it in [his] heart to undervalue even a congregation of ants worshiping a toad-stool; or those other creatures in certain parts of our earth…bow down before a torso of a deceased landed proprietor…” On the whole, this chapter still presents somewhat of a condescending view towards “half-crazy” practices outside of Ishmael’s experience. On pg. 94, Ishmael is finally able to sit Queequeg down and express that “fasting makes the body cave in; hence the spirit caves in; and all thoughts born of a fast must necessarily be half-starved.” This shows me Ishmael’s still ignorant nature, and more importantly, maybe Melville’s dismissive nature towards practices outside Presbyterian Christianity (dismissive might be too of a strong word to use here).

Week 6: The Sublime and Mystery Behind Queequeg’s Character.

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“You cannot hide the soul” (pg 55).

These are my favourite chapters of the book. In this chunk of reading, we begin to see Queequeg’s character develop through Ishmael’s eyes. Queequeg, a Pagan covered in tattoos, who shaves with his harpoon, and spears the rarest steak from himself at breakfast, is quite the oxymoron. At face value you wouldn’t agree, but as Ishmael learns more about his shipmates earnest and sweet nature, you could begin to see what I’m talking about. Despite Queequeg’s outward appearance, Ishmael becomes increasingly aware of Queequeg’s generosity and good heart. When talking of Queequeg’s manners and desires, Ishmael says that there was something almost “sublime” in it. We often use this word when describing nature’s beauty or destruction, not someone’s character. I found this fascinating as this is considered a strong word. For something to be “sublime”, it can be grand, magnificent, or even awe-inspiring. Upon looking the word up, this “sublime” can also be used to describe someone’s attitude as “extreme” or “unparalleled”.

“Call me Ishmael”, Reveling in an Obscure Identity

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There is a lot to discuss within our first chunk of reading for Moby Dick, but I want to focus on one passage and then try to expand.

Before I do this, I thought it was curious how our narrator uses the pseudonym of “Ishmael”. He asks us to call him this, which made me look into the significance this name. Turns out it was a biblical reference used. Ishmael was born unto Abraham with Sarah’s hand maid Hagar. After, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, and she asked Abraham to expel the hand maid and her child into the desert. Though blessed by God, Ishmael became an outcast. This can open up discussion about the word “outcast” and how “Ishmael” ventures to meet people aboard a ship who have a common goal: whaling.

“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off–then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.”

“This is my substitute for pistol and ball.”

This is a huge sentence. I could have paraphrased it lol. What he is saying is that instead of inviting suicidal and/or fatal temptations, the sea is where he can find respite. Only the ocean can provide him this. We get this passage literally on the first page, so you can see how important the ocean is to our “Ishmael”. Arguably, this is an early glimpse of the feelings that our protagonist portrays to the natural unknown world on the horizon.

Man’s Obsessiveness with Nature in ‘What Moby Dick Means to Me’

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What caught my eye in this article by Hoare, were the two novels compared to Moby Dick: Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights.

He says: “…the former (Wuthering Heights) in its own witness to one man’s obsessive interference with nature, was a direct influence on Melville…)

I agree with Hoare’s choices on novels here. It is true that Shelley and Brontë introduce us to worlds where man’s unrelenting obsession with the natural world can both serve as a tool to further understand the “sublime” or for worse, to arrive at the merciless wilderness where only the strong survive. In short, nature contains the potentialities for savagery but also grace. I also think it is interesting that all three novels were conceived at a time period between “the primeval old and and the impossibly new, between an abiding sense of certitude and the dissembling future.”

I found a compelling passage from Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach”:

…For the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain“

This points to the pessimistic view of the world that Victorians had as they tried to understand the natural world but arrived at a strong notion of uncertainty, closely tied to the understandings of faith and nature.

Week 2: Stealing 100 Turtles and Lighting an Island on Fire! (Boys Will Be Boys).

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I enjoyed reading about the horror’s that inspired Moby Dick.

Firstly, I love to hear when authors (like Melville) visit places of inspiration for possible literary ideas. I believe this makes for some of the best work to be created as they’re quite well immersed in the eventual “nature” of the novel-to-be.

Secondly, I found it hilarious that Pollard and his crew upon the Essex stole around 100 turtles and then lit the island on fire upon leaving. That cracked me up. I think that is such a “boy” thing to do. In addition, how tragically ironic that their initial response was to not touch the alleged “cannibal” island but to then later resort to exactly this when their hunger descended them into madness. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In all seriousness, this passage right here is really nightmarish:

“They had only the bones of the last crewmen to perish, which they smashed on the bottom of the boat so that they could eat the marrow.”

To then become obsessed with the remains of your crewmates to the point where you’re not relieved to being rescued is creepy as hell. I could only imagine the harrowing countenance of Pollard and Ramsdell in these moments.

Introduction – Marley Arreola

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Hello everyone, it is nice to meet you all. My name is Marley and it is my last semester here as an ECL major. I am ecstatic to be graduating soon. I look forward to revisiting Moby Dick, because I want to get transported back to the world that Melville has created. Because of its length, prose, and beautiful, rich storytelling, this book has been a challenge for me. I mostly read books to escape, and I have given myself grace for not retaining most of Moby Dick the first time round. I look forward to reading it with a new lens.

This is me with my border collie when he was just a puppy.