General info: Novel, published in 1851
Storytelling: 6 - I am going to tread lightly with this review, partially because I really didn’t “get” half of this book and partially because if I really start critiquing it, I fear that an angry mob of male literature geeks will come burn down my apartment. (Let’s just face it – 90% of people who adore this book are dudes)
First and foremost, this is a story that wholly unlike anything that’s ever been written. How many other books out there give you an unadulterated glimpse of the whaling industry at the end of the 19th century? Melville had experienced all of this nonsense firsthand, so he was able to provide all sorts of gritty details that kept me up at night. Also, even though it was written by a lowly sailor (who also happened to come from a rather well-to-do family, but let’s ignore that part), this work is overflowing with symbolism, metaphor, Shakespearean devices, words that no one knows, and anthropomorphism. I was surprised the kitchen sink didn’t fall out of the pages. I don’t think anyone can deny that this was a tour de force intended to knock your socks off, and I can see how that’s been the case for many people.
However, because Melville was so insanely complex, he also made his book a little ridiculous, and he lost me as a reader a few dozen times. The beginning started out interestingly enough as the main character (we call him Ishmael) met Queequeg (his native New Zealand harpooning pal who is seen as a cannibal savage) and prepared to board the Pequod, a whaling ship set to sail for three years. There was actually a plot at the beginning and some foreshadowing about the disaster that awaited them. You find out about the obsessive captain, Ahab, who is intent on revenge against the albino sperm whale that tore off his leg and sank his last ship. And you get to know the three males, Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask who come in and out the tale at various times to act as a foil for Ahab.
Then once they get further out on the ocean, it got weirder. Melville goes off the radar and starts going into a ton of scientific detail about types of whales, the uses of spermaceti, different international whaling ventures, how much butter various types of ship carry, blah blah blah. From there on out he more or less abandons Ishmael and Queequeg as characters and the rest of the book focuses 30% on Ahab and his maniacal obsession with finding Moby Dick and about 70% on whale murder and the weird shit that went along with that. The plot came in and odd times and was all over the place, which annoyed me. Melville also liked to go off on strange tangents and wax poetic for a few dozen pages about random things. I’m sure he had some reason for doing so, but I just wasn’t following. However, I’m guessing this lot would have made a lot more sense if I read this a century earlier.
Finally, about halfway through the book I guessed the ending (not the coffin bit; that was clever and spooky) which I partially attribute to hearing about this story my whole life. This should have inspired me to reach the ending and uncover the excitement, but it didn’t really. I ended this book feeling really sorry for Moby Dick and rolling my eyes.
In summation, my socks were only partially blown off, but I still have to rank this story highly because it’s so enigmatic.
Writing: 8 – First of all I have say, Melville’s syntax is some of the most amazing and confusingly brilliant I’ve ever seen. I spent half of this book thinking to myself “Holy hell. Who writes like this?!?!”. This thought was rhetorical, of course, but the answer is no one. No one else writes like this. And now I understand why everyone and their mom was harping on me to read this book.
In many ways, this was a lot like reading a large book of dense poetry dressed up as prose, given the amazingly deliberate choice of words and the lyrical flow of certain passages. Not only were characters and events used as metaphors, I felt like Melville was even hinting at his larger themes on a much smaller scale and was selecting specific words accordingly. I’m fully able to appreciate the scope and grandeur of this book, but I admit that perhaps I’m not intelligent enough to understand it all.
The only reason Melville is getting any points docked is due to his wordy weird tangents. I believe that many of these asides and references (many of them biblical and mythological) would have made much more sense to someone reading this in 1875, but he incorporates far too many for my liking. Even if I had understand all that Melville was hinting at, he breaks far too long from the action to compel me or fully make the same point he’s likely already made fifteen times. The preamble drags and really lengthens what I think could have been a much shorter but equally as genius book.
Characters: 7 – Melville was a little tricky with his characters throughout this book. I want to say I left knowing very little about them, but that wouldn’t be accurate; I left knowing some about them. Instead of laying it all out there for the reader to absorb, there were details scattered here and there for you to pick out of the wordy craziness.
For example, we find out that Ahab is an orphan who has spent his entire life on whaling ships. Starbuck has a wife and a young son that he would like to return to at home (although in his heart he knows he likely won’t). Queequeg proves to be oddly more civilized than his Christian counterparts, although he’s supposedly a savage. All of these little details help to make Melville’s characters a bit more real and a bit more likeable, even if they all remain shrouded in mystery.
Far and away, I found Moby Dick to be the most interesting character. He appears very briefly in the book, but exists as a primary character who exists as the primary focus of the novel. We can never see what he’s thinking or feeling, which I suppose is the point. And, he’s an animal, and I really like animals.
I think the White Whale truly symbolizes something different to every reader, and this is the true beauty of it. And needless to say, I think we can all relate to Ahab on some level, although perhaps not quite as dramatically. Hell, I think we can all somewhat to relate to all of the characters in this book. I, for one, related to Ahab’s obsession, Stubb’s foolishness, Queequeg’s individualism, and Starbuck’s sense of decency. I liked Melville’s characters just fine, but their development and use wasn’t as mind-blowing as I would have liked it to be.
Best part: Ahab’s death. While attempting to kill Moby Dick, he launches a harpoon into the whale. Moby Dick dives to escape and in doing so, the harpoon rope tangles around Ahab’s neck and drags him down into the sea. Symbolism anyone?
Recommend to: Guys in their 30’s who want to read a classic
Reminded me of: This novel is so completely unique. I really can’t think of anything that comes even close.
How I would murder the main character: I’d probably chop of Ishmael’s toes in the blubbering room and then feed him to the ravenous sharks.
Sexy parts: This is the least sexy book in the existence of all books.
To sum it up: An influential, brilliant, and informative classic that occasionally veers off course.
Overall: 7.5
No comments:
Post a Comment