Herman Melville's Moby Dick

Rating:
Summary: More insightful than most people realize.
Review: I won't try to repeat any of the millions of words that have been written about this book, but will restrict my short comment to an aspect of this novel that is not well-known: its relevance to the disease of depression.

During my bout with severe clinical depression, I had occasion to read "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Because of my condition, while reading it I suddenly realized -- and I mean KNEW -- that Melville was afflicted with depression. I still remember the passage, Ahab, watching the sunset, thinking to himself:

Chapter xxxvii - SUNSET (page 165) "Oh! time was, when as the sunrise nobly spurred me, so the sunset soothed. No more. This lovely light, it lights not me; all loveliness is anguish to me, since I can ne'er enjoy. Gifted with the high perception, I lack the low, enjoying power; damned, most subtly and most malignantly! damned in the midst of Paradise!"

And that exactly described my condition. "Gifted with the high perception," I perceived the total, utter pointlessness and meaninglessness of -- not only my life -- but of existence itself! And so I could no longer enjoy the things of the world that other, less "insightful" mortals could. I later researched the life of Herman Melville afterward, and it turns out that he did indeed suffer from depression!

I heartily recommend reading "Moby Dick." And if you're "lucky" enough to read it while clinically depressed, you may find it has a lot to say to you that may prove valuable. And you'll learn things from it -- many things -- that someone who is not experiencing depression could not possibly understand.

Rating:
Summary: Call me Crazy, but I love this novel
Review: Like so many great works of art, Herman Melville's 1851 "Moby Dick" is a universe unto itself, the relentlessly rolling, salt-thrashed universe of the Pequod, a seabound whaler. I would advise any first-time reader of "Moby Dick" to give himself plenty of time to get through this book, cetology and all, say 4 to 6 weeks. It's also a good idea to have a passing knowledge of maritime terminology: to know the bow from the stern, what a bowsprit is, a capstan and a shroud. Because Melville was a sailor for so many years, he assumes his professional jargon will be understood. He was also a well-read man, and "Moby Dick" is filled with historical and mythological references. (Quick! Who was King Porus?) It's best to keep a one-volume encyclopedia handy. The story itself is populated with mysterious characters: Ishmael is the narrator who never fully reveals himself -- and who recounts scenes he couldn't very likely have seen. Then there's Bulkington, the mariner who is only seen from a distance, but who receives his own special apotheosis,then disappears. Captain Ahab's wife is described as "a sweet, resigned girl", but the Biblical Ahab's wife Jezebel was a scheming pagan. Does Ahab have a dark family secret? The first time Ahab himself is mentioned, the Pequod's owner calls him "a grand, ungodly, god-like man", and his long-awaited first appearance has all the drama of a Shakespearean entrance. (He's been compared to Lear and Prospero, not to mention Marlowe's Doctor Faustus.) And when the title creature appears, he's more than a whale, he's a world. Ahab against the world -- it's a theme that inspires one dazzling chapter after another: Chapter LXX, Ahab's Aristotelian contemplation of a severed whale's head. Chapter LXIV, the cook's strange sermon to voracious sharks. Chapter XCIV, with its mind-boggling homoeroticism. Chapter CXXXII, with its beautiful comparison of sky and sea. The language becomes quite rich. Here's Ahab at the height of his obsession: " ... supper he never touched; nor reaped his beard; which darkly grew all gnarled, as unearthed roots of trees blown over, which still grow idly on at naked base, though perished in the upper verdure." Readers have called "Moby Dick" difficult, bizarre, and boring. Is it difficult? Yes. Is it bizarre? Actually, it's probably one of the most bizarre books ever written. Is it boring? Only if you're not willing to accept the literary conventions of a hundred and fifty years ago, before there were telephones, radio, movies and television. The long descriptions and digressions are a part of the universe Melville created in "Moby Dick". If you're bored with slasher thrillers and political potboilers, you'll be fascinated by this masterpiece of American fiction.

Rating:
Summary: A gripping classic on the high seas
Review: Opening with the famous line "Call me Ishmael", so begins this classic tale of one man's obsession with a noble, beautiful, yet highly intimidating beast of the seas, the white sperm whale Moby Dick. Set in the 1850's, this story tells of Captain Ahab and his passionate quest to get his revenge on the whale which severed his leg on a past sea-voyage. The story is told by Ishmael, who along with his newly-found friend Queequeg, embark on this most fateful journey.

This book really expresses the heart and soul of men who spend many years of their lives away from their loved families and friends to pursue and kill the proud sperm whales of the deep blue. When reading Melville's description of life at sea, you really get a feeling of a sad dignity to the whaleman's life as he travels the globe. This novel isn't so much about a whale, but about one man's intense sorrow and desire for vengence and the lengths to which he'll go to acheive his victory over a foe which seems almost to exist solely to torment him. It's a book rich with commentary on the depths of one's soul.

Although this story is told by Ishmael, much of it is written more by an omniscient narrator. Certainly, there are many scenes which are described in detailed which Ishmael's character certainly couldn't have been present for. In fact, Ishmael himself hardly seems to play much of a role in the events within the novel. But, he does spend many chapters describing the sperm whale, such as it's dimensions, eating and travelling patterns, the various goods its body produces, etc. He speaks of this so much at certain points it's almost a little too much. But, he gives wonderful details which suggest Melville really did some in-depth research for this novel.

I can certainly see why this is a classic. It's so very well-written and reading it made me wish so much I had this type of literary talent. The descriptive language is very beautiful. The characters all seem so real, particularly Captain Ahab, who's seems to be burdened with a good nature, but heavy heart. Although the novel may seem a little slow or long at some points and the lengthy description of the Sperm Whale can become tedious, it's well worth wading through these low points to enjoy this wonderful tale. I think this is really a great book and certainly worth reading.