In Chapter 135 “The Chase – Third Day,” we get a lot of excitement. The part of this chapter I would like to focus on is actually the very last sentence of the chapter: “Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf; a sullen white surf beat against its steep sides; then all collapsed, and the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand years ago” (Melville 624). I find it difficult to think of a more poetic last sentence to end this whaling expedition; a reminder that the ocean was here long before us, and it will be here long after. Ahab and the rest of the Pequod tried to conquer what is unconquerable, and their need for revenge against Moby Dick is what caused their demise. I think we all saw that one coming. The last sentence of this chapter gives me an almost calming vibe, as if the ocean is unbothered by what has just happened. It has seen many men like Ahab, and has delivered a similar fate to those men who try to defy it. Ahab, the man who considered the ocean his home more so than the land, meets his poetic fate in that very place.
Everything that the novel has shown us, taught us, critique us, and confused us comes to conclusion with this chapter. I feel relieved honestly, but it’s bittersweet because I have never once gone into such an in depth analysis of any material as I have with Moby-Dick this semester. From the days where I couldn’t stop reading it, to the days where I got 5 minutes in and decided that was enough. This novel is truly one of the most daunting and incredible pieces of art I have ever seen, and I’m so glad I don’t have to read it ever again (just kidding, but not really).
Absolutely wonderful blog post. I agree with you completely about the last line of the narrative– it is beautiful; and it is both calming and salve to know that the ocean continues even after the drama/trauma of human action/ tragedy.
And I’m grateful for your mini reflections on your experience reading this book. It sounds like you really got into the reading process and understood how the novel interacts with us. I’m very eager to hear more from you about your experience over the next few weeks of reflective blog posts. Great job here..
Hi Jimmy, I felt the same way reading that last line. It is wild how Melville ends all that chaos with an image that feels almost calm, like the ocean is just returning to its normal rhythm. I like how you point out that the sea is totally unbothered by everything Ahab tried to do. For me, the “five thousand years ago” part really makes the chase feel small. Ahab thought he could change the world by killing the whale, but the ocean does not even notice. It just keeps rolling the way it always has.
And I agree about the bittersweet feeling of finishing. It is a relief to finally reach the end, but also strange to leave a book we have spent so much time wrestling with. Melville really makes you feel how tiny humans are compared to the sea, and that last line drives the point home perfectly.