I have fond memories of reading Moby Dick in high school. Our wonderful English teacher Miss Hillshire walked us through it, and introduced us to the concept of “megalomania.”
One of the scenes that stuck most in my memory (maybe because it was right at the beginning?) was when Queequeg, a wild Polynesian harpooner covered head-to-toe with tattoos, decided to become friends with Ishmael. Queequeg lays out all his possessions, divides them down the middle, and gives half to Ishmael.
WLBOTT: Hey, G. Remember Queequeg from Moby Dick? I always liked how they became fast friends in the early chapters of the book.
ChatGPT: Queequeg is a fascinating character, and his friendship with Ishmael is one of the highlights of “Moby Dick.” Their bond is such a great example of overcoming differences and forming a deep connection. Here are some key points about their relationship:
1. **First Meeting**: Ishmael and Queequeg first meet in New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the Spouter-Inn. Initially, Ishmael is frightened by Queequeg’s appearance and cultural differences, as Queequeg is a tattooed South Sea Islander. However, circumstances force them to share a bed, which was common in inns at the time.
2. **Breaking Barriers**: Despite initial fears and prejudices, Ishmael quickly realizes that Queequeg is a kind and noble individual. Queequeg’s openness and generosity break down Ishmael’s initial apprehensions, leading to a deep and respectful friendship.
3. **Cultural Exchange**: Their friendship is marked by a mutual exchange of cultural practices and beliefs. Queequeg, though initially depicted as a “savage,” is portrayed as wise, honorable, and spiritual, while Ishmael is open-minded and eager to learn from Queequeg.
4. **Symbolic Bond**: The bond between Ishmael and Queequeg symbolizes the potential for harmony and understanding between people of different backgrounds. Their relationship serves as a critique of the racial and cultural prejudices of the time.
5. **Shared Adventures**: Their friendship is solidified as they embark on the whaling voyage aboard the Pequod. They face numerous challenges and adventures together, with Queequeg often showing bravery and loyalty. Ishmael’s narrative often reflects his deep admiration and respect for Queequeg.
6. **Queequeg’s Loyalty**: One of the most poignant moments is when Queequeg falls ill and, believing he will die, orders a coffin to be built. However, he recovers and continues to show unwavering loyalty to Ishmael and the crew.
Semi-Sequitur: Call Me Ishmael
Chat walked me thru the symbolism of the name Ishmael.
ChatGPT: The name “Ishmael” in “Moby Dick” carries significant symbolic weight, drawing from its Biblical origins and adding depth to the character and narrative. Here are some key points about its symbolism:
1. **Biblical Reference**: In the Bible, Ishmael is the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. He is considered an outsider and is eventually cast out into the wilderness. This background makes the name resonate with themes of exile, wandering, and outsider status.
2. **Outsider Status**: Just like the Biblical Ishmael, Melville’s Ishmael is an outsider. He is a wanderer, disconnected from society, and seeking purpose and meaning. His journey on the Pequod and his observations of the crew and Captain Ahab’s monomaniacal quest reflect his role as an observer and commentator rather than an active participant.
3. **Loneliness and Isolation**: The name Ishmael underscores the theme of loneliness and isolation. Throughout the novel, Ishmael often reflects on his solitary nature and the vast, indifferent universe he encounters at sea. His solitary survival at the end of the novel reinforces this theme.
4. **Everyman Figure**: Ishmael serves as an “everyman” figure, representing humanity in its search for understanding and connection. His open-mindedness, curiosity, and willingness to embrace different cultures and perspectives make him a relatable and sympathetic character.
5. **Narrative Perspective**: As the narrator, Ishmael’s perspective is crucial. His name suggests a sense of detachment and impartiality, allowing him to provide a broad, philosophical view of the events and characters in the story. His observations and reflections give readers insight into the deeper themes and moral questions posed by the novel.
6. **Survivor**: In the Biblical story, Ishmael is saved by divine intervention, and in “Moby Dick,” Ishmael is the sole survivor of the Pequod’s disastrous voyage. His survival to tell the tale aligns with the Biblical Ishmael’s legacy as a survivor and progenitor of a new lineage.
One of the main gods for the Cook Islanders was Tangaroa, the god of the sea. The name Tangaroa (along with a few various spellings) can be viewed widely across South Pacific Islands as the god of heaven and sea. He is viewed as the opposite of Tane, god of land, and is thus viewed on equal status. Tangaroa is also considered the father of many sea creatures, which most likely includes the whale.
ChatGPT: Yojo, the small black idol that Queequeg worships in “Moby-Dick,” is an invention of Herman Melville for the novel. Melville created Yojo to add depth to Queequeg’s character and to illustrate the cultural diversity aboard the Pequod. While Queequeg’s character and his background are inspired by Polynesian culture, Yojo is not based on any specific Polynesian deity but rather serves as a fictional representation of Queequeg’s spirituality and beliefs.
G’s version of Yojo
The Movie
I decided to watch the 1956 version of Moby Dick, with Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab, Richard Basehart as Ishmael, Friedrich von Ledebur as Queequeg, and Orson Welles as Father Mapple (in one of the most haunting scenes in the movie).
In a touching and beautifully filmed scene, the mothers, wives, sisters, girl friends of the crew of the Pequod gather at the harbor. They are silent, emotionless, stoic, yet forlorn.
While preparing to board the Pequod on Christmas morning to set sail, Ishmael and Queequeg encounter a pretty weird dude….
Elijah spooks them out, and his words are in the back of Ishmael’s mind for the rest of the book.
Some Disturbing Scenes and We Learn Some Difficult News
In some deeply disturbing scenes, the movie uses actual footage of the brutal slaughter of whales. I thought, “thank God that doesn’t go on anymore.”
Wrongo Bongo. The peak of killing whales actually took place during the 1950’s-1980’s.
Estimates of trends in the post-whaling era suggest that: whaling, by affecting the sex ratio and/or the social cohesion of females, reduced recovery rates well after whaling ceased; preferentially-targeted adult males show the best evidence of recovery, presumably due to recruitment from breeding populations; several decades post-whaling, sperm whale populations not facing much human impact are recovering slowly, but populations may be declining in areas with substantial anthropogenic footprint.
For anybody wondering why “intentional kills” were still happening after whaling was outlawed, this was the infamous “pirate whaling” era of the USSR, revealed only in the 90s in a talk given by a Russian at an international meeting, a quiet low-key talk that left the whole audience (of marine mammalogists) stunned and that is still talked about today. Till that talk nobody could figure out why the blues weren’t recovering and why southern humpbacks had collapsed.
Thoughtful and optimistic article by Hannah Ritchie on Our World in Data.
Human hunting has resulted in a massive decline in global whale populations. Some have been pushed to the brink of extinction. But, as we will see, a combination of technological change, economic incentives and international policies have brought global whaling to very low levels. While some populations are still very small, we have been successful in preserving these beautiful animals. …. Yet the story of whaling overall is a conservation success: an animal that was once in high demand across the world has been saved from extinction through substitution and international cooperation. Many species are in a similar position to whales in the 1960s. But the decline of whaling should give us hope that we can turn things around once again.
The Pequod is scheduled to sail on Christmas Day. In the gray pre-dawn mist, Queequeg and Ishmael approach the ship and think they see some figures boarding ahead of them. Elijah suddenly appears close behind and asks whether they have seen anyone going aboard. Ishmael says he thinks he saw four or five men, and Elijah challenges him to find them on the ship. Ishmael cannot.
In the bible, Elijah and Ahab come into frequent (yet discrete) conflict. Ahab is the most evil of the kings of Israel, guided by greed and deceit (such as in his pursuit of the greatest vineyard after acquiring another through murder). In the bible, Elijah sends his prophecy of the fate of Ahab, whose “blood will be drunk by the same dogs who drank the blood of Naboth”…. Elijah’s prophesy links Ahab to his evil conduct and anticipates his gruesome death. Based upon their biblical roles, Melville’s manipulation of the relationship between Captain Ahab and Elijah in Moby Dick creates the depiction of Elijah as the learned prophet who forces his prophecy upon the Pequod; he is ominously present throughout the entire text through this shared prophecy.
Elijah’s literal presence in the novel is brief; he enters in the earlier chapters when he lurks behind Ishmael and Queequeg as they walk down the street, sends them his warnings and disappears for the rest of the novel…. There are two sections that mention Elijah’s name after the prophecy, both of which evoke Captain Ahab’s mysterious reign. The first is directly before Ahab’s first appearance upon the deck; he has remained hidden from the sailors below deck since before the Pequod set sail, “Every time I ascended to the deck from my watches below, I instantly gazed aft to mark if any strange face were visible; for my first vague disquietude touching the unknown captain, now in the seclusion of the sea, became almost a perturbation. This was strangely heightened at times by the ragged Elijah’s diabolical incoherences uninvitedly recurring to me, with a subtle energy I could not have before conceived of” (Melville Ch. 28). His “subtle energy” mirrors the biblical Elijah. Ishmael mistakenly attributes his speech to a sense of evil, but it is the pervading truth that lurks beneath the superficial “incoherences” that demands his remembrance. He may not invite it, but the ominous feel of Ahab’s ship calls to Ishmael’s intuitive speculation and search for reason aboard a ship of deceit.
The second occurrence comes after Fedallah and his group — whom Ahab had hidden from the sailors — make their first ascension to the upper decks, “Though the affair still left abundant room for all manner of wild conjectures as to dark Ahab’s precise agency in the matter from the beginning. For me, I silently recalled the mysterious shadows I had seen creeping on board the Pequod during the dim Nantucket dawn, as well as the enigmatical hintings of the unaccountable Elijah” (Melville Ch. 48). Ahab runs his ship with the authority of the king. His blatent secrecy in keeping the Arab’s hidden demonstrates a darker authority over the ship. Ishmael is not only questioning his faith in Ahab, he is trying to determine the significance of Elijah’s “hintings.”
Chat: Hey, UC#4! I’m doing well, thanks for asking. How about you? How’s your blog post on Queequeg coming along?
WLBOTT: Thanks for asking! It is a fascinating subject. I’d like to learn about the relationship of Elijah and Ahab in the old testament. Could you give me a summary?
Chat: Sure, UC#4! Here’s a summary of the relationship between Elijah and Ahab in the Old Testament:
Ahab:
Ahab was the seventh king of Israel, ruling in the 9th century BCE. He is often remembered for his marriage to Jezebel, a Phoenician princess who promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah in Israel, leading to widespread idolatry.
Ahab’s reign is detailed in 1 Kings 16-22 and 2 Chronicles 18.
Elijah:
Elijah was a prophet in Israel during Ahab’s reign. He is known for his fierce opposition to the worship of Baal and for his miracles, including raising the dead, bringing fire down from heaven, and ascending to heaven in a whirlwind.
Elijah’s story is primarily found in 1 Kings 17-19, 21, and 2 Kings 1-2.
Key Interactions:
Drought Prophecy and Confrontation (1 Kings 17-18):
Elijah predicts a severe drought as a punishment for Israel’s idolatry, specifically targeting Ahab’s household.
During the drought, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel to prove the power of Yahweh over Baal. Elijah’s victory and the subsequent end of the drought humiliate Ahab and Jezebel.
Naboth’s Vineyard (1 Kings 21):
Ahab covets Naboth’s vineyard, and Jezebel orchestrates Naboth’s unjust execution to acquire it for Ahab.
Elijah confronts Ahab, delivering a prophecy of doom for Ahab’s house, predicting the downfall of his dynasty and the violent deaths of both Ahab and Jezebel.
Final Prophecy and Ahab’s Death (1 Kings 22):
Ahab seeks advice on whether to go to war against Aram (Syria). Despite warnings from the prophet Micaiah, Ahab ignores the prophecy of disaster.
Ahab is mortally wounded in battle, fulfilling Elijah’s earlier prophecy about his demise.
Themes and Significance:
Conflict between True Worship and Idolatry: Elijah’s confrontations with Ahab underscore the tension between the worship of Yahweh and the Canaanite deities Baal and Asherah.
Prophetic Authority: Elijah represents the power and authority of Yahweh’s prophets to challenge and hold even kings accountable for their actions.
Judgment and Mercy: Despite Elijah’s harsh prophecies, there are moments of repentance and delayed judgment, highlighting themes of divine justice tempered with mercy.
The relationship between Elijah and Ahab is a dramatic illustration of the struggle between righteousness and apostasy, with Elijah standing as a zealous advocate for Yahweh amidst a corrupt and idolatrous kingdom.
Chat GPT
From Chat: Here’s a painting that portrays the dramatic relationship between Ahab and Elijah. The scene captures the tension and intensity of their interactions, set against the dramatic backdrop of Mount Carmel.
