In Chapter 49, Ishmael is ready to write his will after having a scare from the dangers of whaling. He feels gratitude in being alive saying, “Besides, all the days I should now live would be as good as the days that Lazarus lived after his resurrection.”(249) Ishmael is not taking the rest of his days for granted and will cherish being alive. Also while having no knowledge of who Lazarus is, I googled him and found out that he was resurrected by Jesus four days after his death.
As a Christian man, Ishmael uses the reference of Lazarus to connect himself to something with familiarity thus turning towards God for comfort. His faith will help him gain not only a clear perspective but also tranquility to continue on his voyage, “I looked round me tranquilly and contentedly, like a quiet ghost with a clean conscience sitting inside the bars of a snug family vault.”(249)
This also makes me think about The Chapel chapter, where he was reading the marbles of the dead sailors. In the end of that chapter I remember his clear mind regarding death, he seemed to not worry about death as he knew that his soul will live on forever. I guess in the face of death, your fear of death instinctively can come back and naturally you will try to avoid it from happening.
Good points about the Christian references. What do you think they do? How do they serve the text as literary devices?
Hello Jackie! I like how you pointed out how Ishmael is not afraid of death. While at the beginning of the novel he was not afraid of death on terms of him wanting to claim it, he is now not afraid because he has so much to live for at sea. Great work!
Hi Jackie! This is a great extraction from the chapter that helps to bridge the use of biblical references. I think this will be useful if you plan to dive deeper into how his views, about life and death, are fluid and changing and reflected in the biblical stories he chooses to focus on.