Journal #4 – Luca Nakata

In chapter 81, I was able to find some little lessons from the events that unfolded. They’re really cliché but they’re there so might as well point it out. One was that you have to be careful with who you trust. Captain Derick seemed nice and all at first, asking for oil, which he did receive by the way (p.284). But when something that both parties wanted appeared, the whales, Derick instantly made the Pequod his enemies. The other lesson is that sometimes, even though you may not want to, it’s better to let go instead of holding on. Starbuck was hesitant on dropping the whale, but if he hadn’t, the boat would’ve tipped over (p.291).

            I am still amazed at how much information Ishmael seems to know about everything, specifically whales. In chapter 85 and 86, he just goes into great detail about his theories about how the whale’s respiratory system works and what comes out of the spout and about how whales use their tails in different ways. He really did his homework before going into his first whaling voyage. All this information is also really helpful to the reader for us to learn more about whales. I’m also guessing that some of these things he learned on the way since this is a story being told by him after the adventure.

            I’m not sure if the men were being racist or just focusing at the task at hand, but I felt really bad for Pip when they left him behind or when they were all cursing at him. Melville maybe intended for this since he kind of belittles Pip (p.333). They also tell him that he’s worth less than a whale in Alabama if he were to be sold into slavery. The poor boy; luckily the Pequod saved him from getting lost in the middle of the ocean.