Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby Dick is a long book: it is also a big book.  Melville sets out to immerse the reader in the world of 19th Century whaling industry while telling the tale of a man ruined by madness.

"Call me Ishmael" is the famous opening line of the novel.  Ishmael narrates his own story about how he went to sea aboard the whaling ship Pequod.  His story does not have much of a plot, and it progresses very slowly.  Ishmael 's narrative is mostly split between telling what he saw and experienced aboard the Pequod,  and what he learned about whales and the whaling industry through the research he undertook in the years after the events being described.

Ishmael paints a vivid picture of life at sea on a whaling ship.  We see a cosmopolitan world in the microcosm of the ship and crew.  Here is a set of men of action who have to thrive in each other's company - for years on end - in cramped conditions.  We hear their conversations, their anecdotes and their songs.  In between times, they take to their boats and hunt down whales.  There are casualties that must be dealt with and griefs to be borne.

Throughout the narrative, Ismael ponders the nature of the universe, of humans, and of the Deity.  His outlook is generally bleak compared with those of his companions.  He does have the power of hindsight on his side, and we start to get some kind of inkling of dark times ahead when Captain Ahab stumps into the story.  The Captain is mad, but what will his madness bring down upon himself, his ship and his crew?

Overall, I really admire the job Melville has done with this book.  Yes, there are over-long passages devoted to cetology, but he was writing for an audience that had no Wikipedia or T.V. documentaries.  On the other hand, Melville succeeds superbly in conjuring up the strange and particular world of ye olde whalers - with its taverns, churches, docks and ships, with its heroes, villains, prophets and seers.  I was shown it all, and I was shown it incredibly well.

It took me a few months to get through Moby Dick, but I'm glad I took the time. It was a very rewarding experience.

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