In the time of Moby-Dick (around the 1840s), whaling was one of the world's most important industries. Whaling ships sailed for months or even years across the oceans to hunt whales for oil, spermaceti, baleen, used for lamps, candles, soap, and industrial purposes.
Ishmael, a young man from New York, decides to join a whaling voyage in search of adventure and a new experience. Along the way, he becomes close friends with Queequeg, a skilled harpooner from the fictional South Pacific island of Kokovoko. Ishmael later learns that Queequeg is actually the son of a king and heir to the throne, but he chose to leave his homeland to explore the outside world.
Ishmael first arrives in New Bedford, a prosperous city whose wealth comes from the whaling industry. Through his observations, the opening chapters show how deeply whaling shapes the city's economy and the lives of its people. He then travels to Nantucket, the center of the American whaling industry, where nearly every aspect of daily life revolves around the sea and the preparation for whaling voyages. Later, Ishmael join the Pequod, whose captain is the one leg, Ahab.
The hierarchy of the ship is clear: Captain Ahab is at the top, and his decision to search for Moby Dick seems absolute. I feel sorry for all the crew of the Pequod, because they cannot simply go home until Ahab's mission is finished. His obsession becomes dangerous because his personal goal is placed above the safety, money, and lives of everyone on the ship. Then there is Captain Starbuck, whose position is right below Ahab. Unlike Ahab, Starbuck believes that they are sailing for the normal purpose of whaling: to hunt whales and collect spermaceti for business. He is a practical, responsible, and reasonable man. He cares about the safety of the crew and often questions Ahab's dangerous decisions. He is also brave enough to disagree with Ahab, even though Ahab is his captain.
And a fun fact: the name of the Starbucks coffee company was inspired by the character Captain Starbuck, I also watched the 2011 Moby-Dick miniseries, with Ethan Hawke as Captain Starbuck. ❤❤❤❤
It is fascinating that today whaling is almost gone as an occupation, yet Herman Melville recorded its world in such remarkable detail. When he wrote Moby-Dick, he could not have known that whale oil would one day become unnecessary because of new technologies like petroleum and electricity. Reading the novel now feels like visiting a lost world.
It reminds me of many Thomas Hardy's novel in 19th century, where old rural occupations, such as the furze-cutter and woodland workers, were already disappear. Both Melville and Hardy preserved ways of life that were slowly fading, allowing modern readers to understand people whose work has almost vanished from history.
One thing I still wonder about Ishmael. Who exactly is he? Because he didn't explain about himself, he is just a narrator. The whole story is told from Ishmael's point of view. At first, he says that he joins the Pequod simply to gain experience and see the world. But after everything that happens, he survives, returns home, and writes this enormous and highly detailed account of his voyage. He seems much more educated and thoughtful than an ordinary sailor. I am curious about how Ishmael became the person who could tell the story in such a detailed and philosophical way.
Overall, Moby-Dick is a very unique and interesting book. Melville gives detailed explanations of the anatomy of whales, their history, the people who have seen them, and the actual process of whaling. He gives so much detail that sometimes the book feels like nonfiction rather than a novel. In a way, it feels like a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. Whoever was misled by this book into expecting a great adventure at sea is just like me, but then gives you the encyclopedia of whales, philosophy, anatomy, history, religion (at some point this resemble to the life of Ishmael in the bible, that I didn't quite understand), world continent (the the Pequod has reached Indonesian's island ! Java, Borneo and Celebes) and also give you long explanations!
Year : April, 2012, (First Published in 1851)
Format / Pages : Softcover / 684 pages
ISBN : 9780141198958
