There were some parts in this section which at first made me wonder, “why is this here?”, such as the alteration to a play-like writing style, or the descriptions on the varying classes of whales. Soon enough, however, the significance of these writing devices was made clear. Later on in the book, Ishmael’s references to, or even full-blown tales of great whaling adventures would not be complete if we did not have some background on the Right Whale, the Sperm Whale, the Greenland Whale, and so on. Even though we do not remember all of the details about Ishmael’s rambles on cetology, we still feel “experienced” enough to comprehend his stories on a deeper level once we are familiar with the different whales that are within them; they even feel like individual characters. Now, the abrupt change to the play format at first seemed very confusing to me, but later on I realized that somehow, it inexplicably heightened the mood of madness and desperation the author was attempting to convey. The chapter “Midnight, Forecastle”, with its detached style and all of the mindless celebration, gives us the impression that the sailors are all marionettes in the hands their puppet-master. “Sunset” and “Dusk” contain soliloquies of Ahab and Starbuck respectively, and it is the first time the novel switches to a point of view of other characters besides Ishmael. To me, they felt like the climax of suspense and drama in this section. The uncertainty of Starbuck and the mad obsession of Ahab really made me think that ghastly horrors awaited the Pequod crew.
Although the theme of fate and ominous suspense becomes magnified later on in the book, it resurfaces significantly throughout this section as well. Starbuck’s hesitation to join the pursuit of Moby Dick is an evident use of foreshadowing; he is the only one sensible enough to question the “foreboding invocation (pg 168)”. His frightful exclamation at page 167 “God keep me–God keep us all!”, felt like a death-sentence for the characters. However, the culmination of the theme of fate for this section lay on page 188: “Such a crew, so officered, seemed specially picked and packed by some infernal fatality to help him to his monomaniac revenge.” Ishmael goes on to describe how it seemed as if evil magic had bound the crew together to follow Ahab’s bidding. Sperm whales are guided by an “infallible instinct (199)”, and even the Zodiac is used to predict the locations of the white whale (200). And just before the spectacular appearance of the dreaded Moby Dick, a long description of a dreamy afternoon which appeared to be weaved together by the Fates themselves (214) looms in to remind us of the familiar mood of the novel. Finally, the section ends with the ghostly spouts of the white whale (232).
The main purpose of the book, the whale Moby Dick, is thoroughly described in the frightful chapter that bears the whale’s name, as well as the following chapter, “The Whiteness of the Whale”, which to me was the most provoking section of the book so far. We finally learn what makes Moby Dick particularly entrancing to Ishmael, and that is its white color. The argument that it is the whiteness of the whale–not the massive size or even its ravaging actions–that emanates the horrifying effect it has on people, is so intricately well-written and convincing. The entire universe is shrouded with the ethereal and the dread of the color white, according to Ishmael. As he personally converses with the reader and cites so many examples for his view–even some that almost two-hundred years later we can still relate to–we are completely enticed by the singularity of whiteness in creation by the end of the chapter, and are bewildered by the fact that we never actually noticed it before. It certainly adds to the fright of Moby Dick.
Melville’s development of the different characters is especially admirable; we are able to decipher so much about a character from a single, well-written paragraph. We would expect long descriptions about physical appearance or somebody’s particular day-to-day trifles to bore us, but instead, they are intriguing and even humorous at times. The trials of humble Flask under Ahab’s strict regime (pg. 154), Ishmael’s pleasant meditations on the mast-head (157-163), Starbuck’s conflicting thoughts about the white whale quest, the monotone and yet passionate encouragements of the quirky Stubb, little Flask atop the massive Daggoo (220), and Ishmael’s desperation upon realizing that his life is an absolute joke and that he runs the serious risk of losing it upon that fateful whaling journey–all of these, as well as others, are the most enjoyable moments of the book and they quickly lead you to root for the characters, however mad their pursuits may be. It is also what makes the occasional mental descent of the crew so poignant at times: “Beelzebub himself might climb up the side and step down into the cabin to chat with the captain, and it would not create any unsubduable excitement at the forecastle (229).” We are finally introduced to the long-awaited Captain Ahab; in fact, this entire section contains several descriptions which surround him with an inescapable aura of mystique and apprehension. The scar that crosses his face like a lightning that hits a tree (129) is an introduction to his eerie persona, which only darkens as the story progresses. We learn that “he sleeps with clenched hands (202), and that nobody ever saw him kneel (227). Ahab’s unquestioned authority in the boat becomes a recurrent theme, and he represents such a stark contrast with everything that we consider “normal” or “pleasant” in a person. The introduction of Ahab’s objective of chasing the white whale produces uncomfortable feelings in the reader as, “more and more strangely and fiercely glad and approving grew the countenance of the old man at every shout”, and a muffled humming is heard from his “wheels of vitality” (164-165). He is incredibly smart and calculating, not only in the effort that he dedicates to his maddening revenge on Moby Dick, but also in the way that he plans to maintain the will of his crew under his own steady control (211-212).
The Agora: AP LANG 2019-2020 