Tag Archives: week 11

The cycle of war and peace

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In chapter 98, “Stowing Down and Clearing Up,” Melville writes about the last step of processing the oil of a hunted whale. He tells us that when the oil is finally put away into barrels and these are stored away in the “bowels of the ship,” the whole vessel is scrubbed clean until it looks like “some silent merchant vessel, with a most scrupulously neat commander” (468). No trace is left of the bloody ordeal that was to extract oil from this whale. However, we find that this does not last for long. In page 469, Melville writes, “[T]hey only step to the deck to carry vast chains, and heave the heavy windlass, and cut and slash, yea, and in their very sweatings to be smoked and burned anew by the combined fires of the equatorial sun and the equatorial try-works; when, on the heel of all this, they have finally bestirred themselves to cleanse the ship, and make a spotless diary room of it; many is the time the poor fellows, just buttoning the necks of their clean frocks, are startled by the cry of ‘There she blows!’ and away they fly to fight another whale, and go through the whole weary thing again. Oh! my friends, but this is man-killing! Yet this is life.” This lengthy quote is a representation of the endless cycle of war and peace experienced by a nation. The sailors, or citizens, “only step to the deck to carry vast chains…cut and slash and…be smoked and burned anew by…the equatorial sun and equatorial try-works.” This first part of the passage describes a scene of physical toil, violence, and injury, all elements of a war. The sailors toil and suffer, and the language of “equatorial” fires is geographic in nature because this is the reality around the whole world. The sun is nature against man, while the try-works are man against himself, maybe weapons of our own creation. There is suffering in life that is natural and other that is man made, but it is observable equally around the world. Then comes the peace, and the sailors “have finally bestirred themselves to cleanse the ship, and make a spotless diary room of it.” The ship once again serves as a representation of a nation-state, and this section describes peace time, where the gore has been scrubbed clean and everything appears to be in order; where the land has transformed from a battle ground to a dairy room, a clean place of nurturing, a fertile land that will feed and grow the population. But nothing lasts forever, and the peace is broken by “the cry of ‘There she blows,'” a battle cry that snaps our “poor fellows,” who were enjoying the calm, the clean, the civilization (they were “buttoning the necks of their clean frocks”) out of a dream and sends them straight to the trenches once more. “[A]way they fly to fight another whale, and go through the whole weary thing again,” a quote that shows a type of melancholy, indicating the weary reality that is partaking in the repetition of a violent routine that one does not willingly enter into, but that seems the only option for survival in society. Finally, Melville writes, “Oh! my friends, but this is man-killing! Yet this is life.” This section reflects a cycle of suffering and calm that we have accepted as an inescapable truth of life, and takes it to a new scale by including the perpetration of suffering upon others as a continuation of this truth. In other words, Melville comments on our acceptance of war as a normal event which reflects the belief that life not only means to suffer, but also to make others suffer from time to time. This endless cycle we have created in our societies leaves too much to be desired, so Melville invites us to reflect on it and maybe think if there are no better options.

Chapter 93: The Castaway, ” The Castaway”,

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In chapter 93 of Moby Dick, Ishmael reflects, ” So man’s insanity is heaven’s sense; and wandering from all mortal reason, man comes at last to that celestial thought, which to reason, is absurd and frantic; and weak or woe, feels then uncompromised, indifferent as his God,”(454) the quote transforms the idea of madness from being known as weak into a form of divine understanding. We see Pip, a young cabin boy who is left adrift at in the vast ocean, who experiences trauma, so badly, he loses touch with humanity itself. I think Melville often uses and questions the human definitions of sanity and reason, like in this chapter, he demonstrates in a tragic and spiritual way. Melville shows, in Pip’s point of view, explores on how the moments of extreme isolations and suffering can lead to a persons beyond reasoning of humanity. What’s the whole obsession with the sanity of the human mind that peaks Melville’s interest towards it?

Pip’s experience reminds me of Annie Cresta from The Hunger Games. Just like Pip, Annie endures the overwhelming trauma from not just witnessing her tribute member being decapitated in front of her, but also from drowning after the whole arena malfunctioned. Her being from District Four (known to be a district of water and fishing) she knew how to swim and was the only survivor hence made her the winner. But at what cost though? She’s considered unstable by the Capitol due to her losing her mind and going insane after her traumatic experience she was found basically useless, but that also shows her fragility and how cruel the world can be. Both of these characters embody on how innocence collides with inhumanity, such as, sensitivity, being mistaken for madness, and is their true respond to their suffering. Both Pip and Annie challenge society’s discrimination of sanity being called mad for no good reason at all. Both characters are gentle souls who have endured enough trauma that it transforms their sanity into understanding.

The more I read into the book it just makes me question and overwhelms me with so much context that Melville wants us to understand, it makes me go insane sometimes and question my own sanity lmaooooo!

Ahab & Starbuck

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The chapter I am focusing on is chapter 109, “Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin.” This chapter shows us an interaction between Captain Ahab and Starbuck; like most of their interactions before, we really get to see the differences between the two characters, noting that neither one of them is fond of the other.

One quote that stood out to me this chapter came from Starbuck when leaving Ahab’s cabin: “Thou hast outraged, not insulted me, sir; but for that I ask thee not to beware of Starbuck; thou wouldst but laugh; but let Ahab beware of Ahab; beware of thyself, old man’ ” (Melville 518). I found this warning to be fascinating, and something that could be noted as foreshadowing. After writing my first essay about the dangers of a leader such as Captain Ahab, I enjoy reading the parts of the novel where Starbuck calls him out for his delusions and corrupt leading. I truly believe that Ahab will be the downfall of both himself and the Pequod, there is no doubt that his obsession and anger will cause trouble for the rest of the crew members later on in the novel.

This chapter, although pretty short, gives us good insight into the relationship between Ahab and Starbuck, and we are able to see that not much has changed since the beginning. It will be interesting to see how their relationship will continue to play out the more the novel progresses and the more wild and crazy Captain Ahab becomes.

incorruption found within the heart of decay

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There were a number of parts from this most recent reading that struck me – I wondered if, perhaps, Pippin from Lord of the Rings was partially named for Pippin in Moby Dick. Both are known to be young, somewhat fearful, and thrust into a dangerous voyage that they may not have necessarily signed on for. They are also particularly clumsy, eliciting anger and frustration from their superiors.

Yet the part that interested me from an academic standpoint was Chapter 92, Ambergris. “Now that the incorruption of this most fragrant ambergris should be found in the heart of such decay; is this nothing?” (448) This passage, while referencing the thick, waxy stuff found within decaying whales, can apply too to the story of Moby Dick and the characters within it. The procurement of the Ambergris was duplicitous, the urgency from Ahab to continue forward on their journey despite the valuable find was further proof of his abandonment of their financial goals for this trip. Despite the harrowing nature of the journey, despite the questionable nature of Ahab and the cruelty expressed by crewmen such as Stubb, Ishmael and Queequeg are the ambergris of the ship – the incorruptible pieces found within the heart of decay.

As another aside, I have been listening to this https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=aNpA6yRene0&si=q_8oCmRmJK9RLytG while reading the novel and have found it to properly put me into the mindset of being on the Pequod. I wanted to share it for the others that may need to listen to something while they read.

Week 11 : Chapters 91 – 108

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As I am starting to get into the chunk of reading for this week, something stuck out to me pretty early on in the section. On the first page of chapter 92, Ambergris, Melville through the voice of Ishmael says “Who would think, then, that such fine ladies and gentlemen should regale themselves with an essence found in the inglorious bowels of a sick whale! Yet so it is.”

What I think really stuck out about this quote to me is how representative of the entire novel it is. So often, Melville and Ishmael remind the readers about how common whaling is at the time and how essential it was to the economy. Everything ran on whale power and this quote just emphasizes truly how common goods from the whales were in daily lives. The reminder of how, while whaling may seem unethical and gross to us now, that wasn’t always the case. People like us reading this novel were some of the main consumers of these goods that the whaling boats brought back and Melville really does try to bring to the forefront just how much of a commonality this was.

I think this also ties so much into the historical period in which this was written and how we look back upon it. We know that Melville is using the whale as a symbol and I think this quote and this constant reminder of how common something can be at one point and then be completely looked down upon could also represent the culture around slavery. We now of course know truly how awful slavery was even as an idea, but back then it was such a common thing. It can sometimes be hard to imagine these historical figures being proponents of these awful actions, but in reality this was what was common and known at the time. Just like how it’s hard for us to imagine people consuming products from whales. I think Melville does a brilliant job bringing the reader back to reality when reading this book, both through the historical aspect of it, but also through direct speech to the reader. Sometimes reading this book makes you feel like you are in a completely fictionalized world because of how outlandish it may seem to us now, but it is important for us to remember how truly real these situations were, both historical symbolism and true whaling descriptions alike.

ch. 96 of Moby Dick

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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.

The Price of Illumination – Chapter 97

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The line from this week’s reading that really caught my eye was from Chapter 97: “But the whaleman, as he seeks the food of light, so he lives in light” (Melville 466), which I believe captures Melville’s ability to fuse the physical and the metaphysical once again, turning a practical observation about whaling into a profound commentary on human existence. On a literal level, the statement refers to the whaleman’s constant pursuit of oil, the “food of light,” since whale oil was used to fuel lamps across the world. So, the whaleman’s work is a pursuit of and for illumination. He literally hunts the source of light that allows civilization to see, work, and exist after dark. But Melville complicates this material truth by framing it in spiritual and moral terms. The phrase “lives in light” suggests that the whaleman not only produces light but is also surrounded by it at all times, bathed in its glow both literally and figuratively. Yet this very illumination of theirs is born out of darkness: the death of innocent whales, the blood and toil of the men who harvest their bodies, and the moral and ethical ambiguity of a profession that profits from chaos and destruction.

I think that the irony here is central and clear to see: the whaleman “lives in light,” but only through an act of violence. The same substance that brings clarity and brightness to the rest of the world originates in death. Melville uses this paradox to suggest that enlightenment, both scientific and spiritual, often comes at a cost. Stepping back, in a broader sense, I think that the “whaleman” becomes a metaphor for humankind’s ceaseless desire for knowledge and progress. Just as the whaleman harvests the “food of light,” humans pursue wisdom, truth, and power, but unfortunately, these pursuits are frequently built upon exploitation, conquest, and moral compromise. To “live in light,” then, may also mean to live in the illusion of purity, ignoring the shadow that makes such light bright and possible.

This idea connects to Melville’s recurring interest in the boundaries between illumination and blindness, understanding and ignorance. The whaleman’s world is one where enlightenment is always haunted by darkness because every lamp that burns brightly depends on the extinguishing of life. Through this single sentence, I believe that Melville encapsulates the novel’s philosophical core: that light and darkness are inseparable, that human knowledge is born from destruction, and that to “live in light” is to live within and also understand the moral contradictions that define civilization itself.

Ch. 94 – A Squeeze of the Hand

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While a lot of the chapters from this reading went right over my head, I could not help but be drawn to the ending of Chapter 94. Ishmael is discussing the works of the blubber-room and the man who works beneath the deck. From this chapter reads the passage, “With this gaff, the gaffman hooks on to a sheet of blubber, and strives to hold it from slipping, as the ship pitches and lurches about. Meanwhile, the spade-man stands on the sheet itself, perpendicularly chopping it into the portable horse-pieces. This spade is as sharp as hone can make it; the spademan’s feet are shoeless; the thing he stands on will sometimes irresistibly slide away from him, like a sledge. If he cuts off one of his own toes, or one of his assistant’s, would you be very much astonished? Toes are scarce among veteran blubber-room men” (458). While it is quite gruesome to think about the loss of someone’s toes to a sharp object, toes are used to stabilize us on our feet. I would like to argue that, while the blubber-room and its men are apart of the Pequod, and the Pequod being referenced as its own nation state, that the act of sawing and cutting at blubberous commerce and even at the risk of one’s self, that the blubber-room and its men represents the self destruction of the people within the nation state. As America is at one of its worst points in history, clawing after the idea of white superiority at the expense of others, they are actively cutting through themselves and destabilizing the very foundation that they believe they have erected for themselves and the nation. With the tossing and turning of the nation, creating such an already unstable foundation, the mere acting of cutting down another object in turn leads them to cutting themselves down.

Chapter Ninety-One

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In Chapter 91, “The Pequod Meets The Rose-Bud”, Melville presents a scene filled with irony, satire, and moral commentary that exposes the ignorance and exploitation inherent in capitalist systems. The Pequod encounters a French whaling ship, which is ironically named Bouton-de-Rose (Rose-Bud), which reeks of decay from two rotting whales tied to its side. The name “Rose-Bud”, which evokes beauty and freshness, stands in stark contrast to the foul stench that accompanies the ship. The ironic contradiction between the name and reality symbolizes how wealth and refinement often conceal decay and corruption. This irony deepens through the presence of ambergris, a substance found in diseased whales, which is used to create luxury perfumes. Through this grotesque transformation of waste into beauty, Melville critiques how capitalist societies turn death, exploitation, and decay into symbols of elegance and value.  Melville highlights this critique through Stubb’s manipulation of the French sailors. The narrator notes, “Sounding him carefully, Stubb further perceived that the Guernsey-man had not the slightest suspicion concerning the ambergris. He therefore held his peace on that head. Otherwise, he was quite frank and confidential with him, so that the two quickly concocted a little plan for both circumventing and satirizing the Captain, without his at all dreaming of distrusting their sincerity.” (Melville 444) Stubb’s selective honesty, his decision to “hold his peace” while pretending to be “frank and confidential”, reveals the hypocrisy and deceit underlying capitalist exchange. His manipulation of the ignorant French captain mirrors a larger pattern of exploitation in which those with knowledge and power profit from those who don’t. Using the words “circumventing” and “satirizing” implies cunning and mockery, showing how Stubb treats exploitation as a game, a form of entertainment instead of a moral wrongdoing. This moment becomes an insight into how profit depends on secrecy and deceit, the same mechanisms that sustain colonial and capitalist hierarchies. The Rose-Bud becomes an emblem of society’s contradictions, a world that celebrates beauty while ignoring the gruesomeness that makes it possible.