Ideology: Hunter as Monster, Whale as City
I feel like Melville was trying to express a more humane version of the whales in chapters 87 and 88. He also pushes the fact that it’s not the whales that are the monsters but the people hunting them down. Even on that point he expresses that the hunters, expressed as the ‘monsters,’, wouldn’t stoop so low as to kill the “calves” or the “cows” in the middle of the herd of sperm whales (ch.87). However, before they find this herd of whales, Ishmael was noting how Ahab wasn’t landing at all to get fresh supplies. During his remarks he even says to himself that “Surely, he will stop for water,”, but those hopes are replaced by the excitement of seeing jets of water coming from whales “like the thousand cheerful chimneys of some dense metropolis” (ch. 87). . . . .When they’re dragged to the middle of the pod by a whale Queequeg harpooned they enter an “enchanted calm” where the women and children of the pod are kept safe (ch. 87). We finally get to see the “young, unsophisticated, and every way innocent and inexperienced” side of the whales that the beginning of the novel seemed to shun or deem impossible (ch. 87). Witnessing the children of the pod brought out the more gentle side to the crew as “Queequeg patted their foreheads” and even “Starbuck scratched their backs” but was “fearful of consequences” as injuring the babies would bring chaos to the ship as the whales would try to defend their young (ch. 87). Everything during this section of the chapter just [exuded] peace and gentleness that was so refreshing from the rest of the book. It was as if the crew had momentarily joined the pod of whales to witness their kind demeanors with their own.
It seemed almost as if Melville was explaining the innocence of babies and children, and comparing them to human babies. After speaking of “human infants” eating, he goes on to write that “even so did the young of these whales seem looking up towards” [the sailors], almost like they were “but a bit of Gulfweed in their new-born sight” (Ch. 87).
Later on, Melville writes more explaining the sperm whale and the fact that it “breeds indifferently at all seasons.” It continues to intrigue me how much Melville wants to explain more about whales every chance he gets. He always seems to have something to say concerning whales, their lives, and how they live within the nature of the ocean. I also noticed when Melville is speaking of a nursing whale, after he explains that “the milk is very sweet and rich,” he says that “it has been tasted by men.” This seems to be very subtly entered into this section of the novel. Although it may not have anything to do with the bigger picture of the novel, I found it interesting that Melville would add this fact.
Much of the content between chapters 87-95 of Moby-Dick seems to humanize whales, making the reader apprehensive about the ethical and moral questions concerning whaling. In chapter 87, the Pequod finds itself in a “grand armada” of whales, or a large group of whales. Ishmael notes that “suspended in those watery vaults, floated the forms of the nursing mothers of the whales.” The mention of mothering and nursing exposes an almost human and familial aspect to the nature of whales.
Ishmael also expresses how the baby whales, “like household dogs came snuffling round…till it almost seemed that some spell had suddenly domesticated them.” The effect of this passage exposes an underlying barbarity within the whaling profession.
“The Grand Armada” chapter of Moby-Dick was a cool read because the Pequod was chased by Malay pirates. Although they escaped the pirates, they were still in danger because a herd of whales began to create chaos in the water. This part of the chapter really intensified and as the reader, I felt a bit panicked.
Melville has personified the whales as a wealthy lord traveling around for adventure and more wealth along with his “harem” (ch. 88). Adding to this personification he talks about if a fellow ‘lord’ tries to threaten his position or take one of his harem “my lord whale keeps a wary eye on his interesting family” to maintain their safety sounding more like a husband or father than a regular whale, or to stick within the animal kingdom, a lion (ch. 88). Later he goes on to use the whales to describe societal norms.
In Moby Dick chapter 87, the crew is sailing by the island of Java, which is a place very highly populated by whales. Of course, the crew spots a large pod of them and quickly begins to pursue them. As they pursue the whales, they eventually congregate in a large pod and stop swimming away from the Pequod. As Queequeg spears a large number of the whales at once, Ishmael quickly notices that many of them are females, either pregnant or literally attached by an umbilical cord. Ishmael saw “long coils of the umbilical cord of Madame Leviathan, by which the young cub seemed still tethered to its dam” (ch. 87). This sight seemed to resonate with him, and he realized the significance of it. I was saddened by this scene, because of the tenderness of a mother and baby whale. The moment of a mother giving birth is sacred, and the poor babies were being hunted before they had a chance to live. This scene also seemed to represent a significant change in Moby Dick. While the whalers were first seen as heroes hunting great monsters, this humanized the whales, but made the whalers seem more evil.
Ideology: Whaling as Enslaving
Moby Dick had provided more interesting moral quandaries upon whale-hunting, as when the three whale boats floated above a peaceful herd of whales, in which the mothers were caring for their young and the young were innocently socializing with the crew, Queequeg noticed chaos ensuing within the deep. A whale, harpooned by the crew earlier, had detached it skewer, but the spear’s line was “permanently caught” and in coiled around its tail (Ch. 87). This physical ignominy of the whale’s shackling was then immediately paled by the knowledge that, due to its wounds, it was “tormented to madness” and that it was “violently flailing with his flexible tail, and tossing the keen spade about him, wounding and murdering his own comrades” (Ch. 87). The scene describes the haunting effects that whale-killing has, in that it goes as far as to display not only the humanity of the whale, but the deprivation of it as well.
Ideology: Gender Politics
In chapter 88, Ishmael seems to imply that men are more likely to succumb to fatalism than women. He mentions at the end of the chapter that male whales are filled with “wickedness” and will leave injured “comrades” (Chapter 88). However, the female whales stick together and “swim around” the injured whale “with every token of concern” to the point that they themselves can “fall prey” to death because they refuse to abandon the injured (Chapter 88).
One particular piece of chapter eighty-eight was important to me, and that is when Ishmael explains “all his comrades quit him” when speaking of male whales. Then “But strike a member of the harem school, and her companions swim around her with every token of concern.” I thought this was absolutely beautiful and learning this gave me another reason to love whales, especially females.
Law of the Ocean, Law of the Jungle
- Melville seems a bit pessimistic about how the world functions. He compares it to the law of “Loose- Fish” claiming that it’s “fair game” to whoever can get to it first after someone initially gets it (Melville ch.89). To argue his point, he takes several political figures, such as the “Archbishop of Savesoul[,]” and claims that his income was ‘earned’ by snatching away the hard earnings of those who were actually willing to put in the work (Melville ch. 89). The laws of the ocean that created the fast/loose fish seemed to be “universally applicable” as it was clear throughout the chapter he wasn’t just talking about the whales, but the corruption of the hierarchy that preyed upon their own people (ch.89). Among this we see a servant saving the head of a whale for his master and when someone questions why the man who did no work for it gets all the earnings from it the servant only replied with “‘It is his’” (ch.90).
- In chapter 89, Ishmael appears to be questioning the idea of colonization. After explaining what a “Fast-Fish” and “Loose-Fish” are in the whaling industry, he begins to compare it [to] the conquering of land (Chapter 89). Ishmael ponders the “laws and regulations” associated with owning something, especially when that something is a large size of land (Chapter 89). He ends the chapter by asking what is and is not a Loose-Fish. Ishmael even questions: “What are the Rights of Man?” when the “great globe” and “the reader” are both Loose-Fish and Fast-Fish (Chapter 89, 321). Ishmael continues this train of thought in chapter 91 when Stubb tricks the unexperienced captain of the Bouton de Rose, and essentially steals ambergris that is “worth a gold guinea an ounce” (Chapter 9). Ishmael could be implying that Loose-Fish (countries and some people) are easy to seize and exploit when they are unexperienced in comparison to the conqueror.
The scents of the rotting whales are very contradictory towards the sweet scents that are often associated with rosebuds. However, they make up for it by having “ambergris” aboard their ship giving it to Stubb as the narrator compares the “waxy” worth a “gold guinea” (ch.91,92 338). This pleasant scent gives hope that the French ship they encountered is quite as unpleasant as it initially seemed.
At first glance, chapter 94 does seem weird and out of place with the homoerotic squeezing of whale [spermaceti] and handholding. However, in the middle of the chapter, Ishmael realizes something while performing this menial task. After realizing that he could continue this task “for ever” Ishmael contemplates how humans must constantly search for joy in life through grand things (Chapter 94). Ishmael argues that we must “lower” our expectations and try to find satisfaction in “attainable felicity” (Chapter 94). In doing so Ishmael believes that we will see and feel like “rows of angels in paradise” (Chapter 94).
In chapter 94, we get an interesting and slightly off-putting chapter about Ishmael’s delight in whale [spermaceti]. After Stubb’s whale was dissected for its components, some of the crew were charged with the task of tending to the [spermaceti]. There were multiple tubs of it, and it had “cooled and crystallized to such a degree...that it strangely concreted into lumps” (ch. 94). The men were tasked with squeezing the [spermaceit] back into liquid. Just thinking about such a task might make one feel sickly, but not Ishmael. No. Rather, Ishmael was strangely delighted with having to tend to theti] [spermace. More than that, Ishmael felt delighted by the connection it offered him to his fellow crewmates. He explained that when squeezing the [spermaceti], he would often mistakenly grab the hand of his crewmates. Ishmael was “continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally” (ch. 94). He further went on to detail his joyful connection to his crewmates over those gestures. This is a chapter that reminds me of when we were first reading the book and read about Ishmael and Queequeg. I find myself in a debate as to if this chapter is meant to be taken as one of sentimental friendship, or one with obviously yet underlying homoerotic themes. The emphasis on Ishmael’s enjoyment of the [spermaceit] could very well be taken as his sentimental outlook on life, and the joy he finds in fulfilling his duty, and how he feels connected to his brethren. However, I can very well see the homoerotic theme, the obsession with [spermaceti], and the almost sexual delight he gets from squeezing the sperm with fellow men. The “looking into their eyes sentimentally” part does ring a bit of a bell and come off to me as homoerotic.
A Different Model of Christian Charity?
. . . we witness Ishmael’s euphoric experience squeezing spermaceti. During this time, his sensations and feelings of “sweet and unctuous duty” are very well described, as he lets us know that his “fingers felt like eels” and had begun to “serpentine and spiralize”, and goes on about its “uncontaminated aroma”, and even its taste of “a royal cutlet” (Ch 94). But this experience wasn’t unshared as he was surrounded by fellow spermaceti squeezers, one of which, during his flow, he accidentally squeezed by the hand. Yet Ishmael refused to brush the mishap as an awkward incident, but described it as “an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling”, but he only leaves us to assume what the other unfortunate (or fortunate) whaler would be thinking, as Ishmael was “looking up into their eyes sentimentally” (Ch. 94). Ultimately, it seems that that is unimportant, as the scene conveys that the work, in its sensationally fulfilling manner, so fully enveloped Ishmael’s mind that in his state of focus and happiness, he was moved, in a way he himself admitted to considering almost in a superstitious manner, toward an angelic altruism in spermaceti squeezing . . .
The Black Pelt
Chapter ninety-five was not what I expected to read and learn from the novel, but it was interesting to read nonetheless. Ishmael explains how the miner wears the “black pelt” as protection. Ishmael said “Immemorial to all his order, this investiture line will adequately protect him, while employed in the peculiar functions of his office.”
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