This is the the first book on my Top 100 Novels list that was originally written in English. It is difficult to know how much gets lost in translation, but some certainly does, so it was comforting to know I was getting it all in the original.
Now, I don't live on the coast, but I do enjoy fishing and have spent a considerable amount of time on or in or by the water, so I could relate in some ways to this book on that level, but not fully. And, some have suggested that Moby Dick is in the running for the title of 'The Great American Novel' so it must have a grander theme than merely being a whaling trip. In a big picture it is a revenge novel, a quest novel, and an adventure book. I could see a bit of the Great American Road Trip in this novel, but on the sea rather than on land. There is also the a hint of the concept of Manifest Destiny,
especially the notion that man, American man, can rule the world, the
seas, and nature itself. On the whole the book is a cautionary tale,
but the chase is romanticized, and one is left feeling that if any man
will rule the world it will be American Man. And when I say man, I mean
man, the book is devoid of any significant presence of the feminine. For this and other reasons, I doubt any 21st century publisher would pick this novel up if it was written today, which is odd considering it is often ranked as one of the best novels of all time.
As an aside, I really enjoyed reading about the character Starbuck, if for no other reason than he is (I think) the namesake of the coffee company. I felt like I was getting an insight into two American icons at once, Moby Dick & Starbucks. However, I have no great insight as to why the coffee company would choose this name.
There is an underlying compassion in the novel, for the whales, for other races, for the characters themselves. I found the tidbits, and phases of Melville's expansive humanity quite moving and touching within this masculine, predatory adventure novel, or maybe that was the whole point from the beginning.
The strength of the novel for me was two-fold. First, the story, though a grind at times, made me feel like I was on the boat. I was longing to find Moby Dick along with the characters, and I really thought we would get him! Second, With the novel's conclusion leaving Moby Dick the 'winner' I thought Melville succeeded in presenting a morally impressive, critical story for Americans (in which I include Canadians). Melville is not a blind cheerleader of all things technological and driven, but as a champion for thoughtful pursuit of our limits over controlling nature, and ourselves. The take away for me is that we may destroy ourselves in our pursuit to control our destiny. A great message within a grand adventure narrative.
This book was strange, odd and delightful. I now know more about cetology (the study of whales) and 'whale sperm' than I ever thought I would.
Epicness: 24.5 - In the running for 'The Great American Novel'. Quoted and alluded to all over the place.
Enjoyment: 22.5 - At times quite interesting, but other times it was dragging. Odd and quirky, but delightful and full of little nuggets.
Exploration (of the human condition): 22.5 Queequeg, Ishemael, Ahad, Starbuck, the boat owners. Man vs. Nature. Religion, Faith (but no love)
Eloquence: 22.5 - lyrical quality, but a bit of a slog at times, purposefully like an encyclopedia.
The Restless Questometer: 91.5
