While reading through the article “What Moby-Dick Means to Me” it created a more comfortable space to start diving into this reading. Much like Hoare this book has been one that I have pushed to the side for years. For Hoare it was his watching of the 1956 John Huston film and feeling as though the intense adventure story that he imagined was replaced with a more dense and wordy story that he was unable to connect to. For me Moby-Dick always seemed intimidating, after hearing many people over the years explain what a life changing read it was I felt that I would never have the same experience. However, I began to feel a comfortability in the uncomfortable when Hoare stated “I didn’t know then what I do now: that “Moby-Dick” can be whatever you want it to be. It took me thirty years to discover what the book was—or what it was not” (Hoare). This book is not made to be perfectly interpreted, but rather it will take each of its readers on their own journey that will create a depth to their own reading. This makes me think about all of the different personalities we have in this class. How amazing it is that through all of our individual experiences we will be reading this novel together and be able to share our own feelings of love, excitement, and even confusion throughout this novel. The perspective that Hoare gave throughout this article changed the way that I have been looking at it and I couldn’t be more excited to dive deep into it with everyone!
Another section of this article that drew my attention was how Hoare explained the book to feel both like travel back in time and also drastically modern. The article states “Sometimes I read it and I feel like I’m going backward, fast. It reads like something that was written before books were invented, yet it is utterly modern” (Hoare). One reason I have always loved literature is because it allows us to see the perspective of events that happened in the world during different eras first hand through these writers. An example of this being exactly what we talked about in class revolving around whaling. I had no idea what whaling was and learning how large and intense the industry was caused a shift for my understanding of depth that this novel will lead us into. This book will allow me to travel back in time to witness these different aspects of history while also being able to connect those aspects to modern ideas. The ability for a book to travel through generations and still be relevant to all those that read it is what makes up a true masterpiece.
Wonderful blog post, Alyssa. You ground your ideas in the text and develop from it. I am glad that this reading made you feel more comfortable being uncomfortable with Moby-Dick. Eager to hear more!
Hi Alyssa !
I really enjoyed reading your post and relating it to the different personalities in class! This is a very insightful point because it extends to how we express emotions differently; and that this kind of expression expresses the way in which the characters are read in the story. At the same time, characters intentionally have a perspective apart from the reader, creating not just differences but acknowledgment and a multidimensional sphere when reading. Thank you for sharing!
I really resonated with the feeling of intimidation when approaching this book, and how this article has alleviated some of the pressure with relatability. In previous classes I’ve taken, the reading typically had a specific point it was trying to make. In contrast, Moby Dick seems as fluid as the ocean in which the story takes place. I look forward to the various interpretations—especially the aspect revolving whaling. Similarly to you, I had no idea of the importance of that on American culture till this class.