American Literature books summary

American Literature books summary

what the past has made him. Any more than your father can. Or you. Or I."

Jamie shrugs off all accusations, and Edmund looks suspiciously at Mary.

Tyrone enters, and he argues briefly with his two sons about the

whiskey. They all have a large drink. Suddenly, Mary has an outburst about

Tyrone's failure to understand what a home is. Mary has a distinct vision

of a home, one that Tyrone has never been able to provide for her. She

tells him that he should have remained a bachelor, but then she drops the

subject so that they can begin lunch. However, she first criticizes Tyrone

for letting Edmund drink, saying that it will kill him. Suddenly feeling

guilty, she retracts her comments. Jamie and Edmund exit to the dining

room. Tyrone sits staring at Mary, then says that he has "been a God-damned

fool to believe in you." She becomes defensive and begins to deny Tyrone's

unspoken accusations, but he now knows that she is back on morphine. She

complains again of his drinking before the scene ends.

Act II, Scene ii The scene begins half an hour after the previous

scene. The family is returning from lunch in the dining room. Tyrone

appears angry and aloof, while Edmund appears "heartsick." Mary and Tyrone

argue briefly about the nature of the "home," although Mary seems somewhat

aloof while she speaks because she is on morphine. The phone rings, and

Tyrone answers it. He talks briefly with the caller and agrees on a meeting

at four o'clock. He returns and tells the family that the caller was Doc

Hardy, who wanted to see Edmund that afternoon. Edmund remarks that it

doesn't sound like good tidings. Mary immediately discredits everything Doc

Hardy has to say because she thinks he is a cheap quack whom Tyrone hired

only because he is inexpensive. After a brief argument, she exits upstairs.

After she is gone, Jamie remarks that she has gone to get more

morphine. Edmund and Tyrone explode at him, telling him not to think such

bad thoughts about people. Jamie counters that Edmund and Tyrone need to

face the truth; they are kidding themselves. Edmund tells Jamie that he is

too pessimistic. Tyrone argues that both boys have forgotten Catholicism,

the only belief that is not fraudulent. Jamie and Edmund both grow mad and

begin to argue with Tyrone. Tyrone admits that he does not practice

Catholicism strictly, but he claims that he prays each morning and each

evening. Edmund is a believer in Nietzsche, who wrote that "God is dead" in

Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He ends the argument, however, by resolving to

speak with Mary about the drugs, and he exits upstairs.

After Edmund leaves, Tyrone tells Jamie that Doc Hardy say that Edmund

has consumption, "no possible doubt." However, if Edmund goes to a

sanatorium immediately, he will be cured in six to 12 months. Jamie demands

that Tyrone send Edmund somewhere good, not somewhere cheap. Jamie says

that Tyrone thinks consumption is necessarily fatal, and therefore it is

not worth spending money on trying to cure Edmund since he is guaranteed to

die anyway. Jamie correctly argues that consumption can be cured if treated

properly. He decides to go with Tyrone and Edmund to the doctor that

afternoon then exits.

Mary reenters as Jamie leaves, and she tells Tyrone that Jamie would

be a good son if he had been raised in a "real" home as Mary envisions it.

She tells Tyrone not to give Jamie any money because he will use it only to

but liquor. Tyrone bitterly implies that Mary and her drug use is enough to

make any man want to drink. Mary dodges his accusation with denials, but

she asks Tyrone not to leave her alone that afternoon because she gets

lonely. Tyrone responds that Mary is the one who "leaves," referring to her

mental aloofness when she takes drugs. Tyrone suggests that Mary take a

ride in the new car he bought her, which to Tyrone's resentment does not

often get used (he sees it as another waste of money). Mary tells him that

he should not have bought her a second-hand car. In any case, Mary argues

that she has no one to visit in the car, since she has not had any friends

since she got married. She alludes briefly to a scandal involving Tyrone

and a mistress at the beginning of their marriage, and this event caused

many of her friends to abandon her. Tyrone tells Mary not to dig up the

past. Mary changes the subject and tells Tyrone that she needs to go to the

drugstore.

Delving into the past, Mary tells Tyrone the story of getting addicted

to morphine when Edmund was born. She implicitly blames Tyrone for her

addiction because he would only pay for a cheap doctor who knew of no

better way to cure her childbirth pain. Tyrone interrupts and tells her to

forget the past, but Mary replies, "Why? How can I? The past is the

present, isn't it? It's the future too. We all try to lie out of that but

life won't let us." Mary blames herself for breaking her vow never to have

another baby after Eugene, her second baby who died at two years old from

measles he caught from Jamie after Jamie went into the baby's room. Tyrone

tells Mary to let the dead baby rest in peace, but Mary only blames herself

more for not staying with Eugene (her mother was babysitting when Jamie

gave Eugene measles), and instead going on the road to keep Tyrone company

as he traveled the country with his plays. Tyrone had later insisted that

Mary have another baby to replace Eugene, and so Edmund was born. But Mary

claimed that from the first day she could tell that Edmund was weak and

fragile, as though God intended to punish her for what happened to Eugene.

Edmund reenters after Mary's speech, and he asks Tyrone for money,

which Tyrone grudgingly produces. Edmund is genuinely thankful, but then he

gets the idea that Tyrone may regret giving him money because Tyrone thinks

that Edmund will die and the money will be wasted. Tyrone is greatly hurt

by this accusation, and Edmund suddenly feels very guilty for what he said.

He and his father make amends briefly before Mary furiously tells Edmund

not to be so morbid and pessimistic. She begins to cry, and Tyrone exits to

get ready to go to the doctor with Edmund. Mary again criticizes Doc Hardy

and tells Edmund not to see him. Edmund replies that Mary needs to quit the

morphine, which puts Mary on the defensive, denying that she still uses and

then making excuses for herself. She admits that she lies to herself all

the time, and she says that she can "no longer call my soul my own." She

hopes for redemption one day through the Virgin. Jamie and Tyrone call

Edmund, and he exits. Mary is left alone, glad that they are gone but

feeling "so lonely."

Act III

The scene opens as usual on the living room at 6:30 pm, just before

dinner time. Mary and Cathleen are alone in the room; Cathleen, at Mary's

invitation, has been drinking. Although they discuss the fog, it is clear

that Cathleen is there only to give Mary a chance to talk to someone. They

discuss briefly Tyrone 's obsession with money, and then Mary refuses to

admit to Edmund's consumption. Mary delves into her past memories of her

life and family. As a pious Catholic schoolgirl, she says that she never

liked the theater; she did not feel "at home" with the theater crowd. Mary

then brings up the subject of morphine, which we learn Cathleen gets for

her from the local drugstore. Mary is becoming obsessed with her hands,

which used to be long and beautiful but have since deteriorated. She

mentions that she used to have two dreams: to become a nun and to become a

famous professional pianist. These dreams evaporated, however, when she met

Tyrone and fell in love. She met Tyrone after seeing him in a play. He was

friends with her father, who introduced the two. And she maintains that

Tyrone is a good man; in 36 years of marriage, he has had not one

extramarital scandal.

Cathleen then exits to see about dinner, and Mary slowly becomes

bitter as she recalls more memories. She thinks of her happiness before

meeting Tyrone. She thinks that she cannot pray anymore because the Virgin

will not listen to a dope fiend. She decides to go upstairs to get more

drugs, but before she can do so, Edmund and Tyrone return.

They immediately recognize upon seeing her that she has taken a large

dose of morphine. Mary tells them that she is surprised they returned,

since it is "more cheerful" uptown. The men are clearly drunk, and in fact

Jamie is still uptown seeing whores and drinking. Mary says that Jamie is a

"hopeless failure" and warns that he will drag down Edmund with him out of

jealousy. Mary talks more about the bad memories from the past, and Tyrone

laments that he even bothered to come home to his dope addict of a wife.

Tyrone decides to pay no attention to her. Mary meanwhile waxes about

Jamie, who she thinks was very smart until he started drinking. Mary blames

Jamie's drinking on Tyrone, calling the Irish stupid drunks, a comment

which Tyrone ignores.

Mary's tone suddenly changes as she reminisces about meeting Tyrone.

Tyrone then begins to cry as he thinks back on the memories, and he tells

his wife that he loves her. Mary responds, "I love you dear, in spite of

everything." But she regrets marrying him because he drinks so much. Mary

says she will not forget, but she will try to forgive. She mentions that

she was spoiled terribly by her father, and that spoiling made her a bad

wife. Tyrone takes a drink, but seeing the bottle has been watered down by

his sons trying to fool him into believing that they haven't been drinking,

he goes to get a new one. Mary again calls him stingy, but she excuses him

to Edmund, telling of how he was abandoned by his father and forced to work

at age 10.

Edmund then tells Mary that he has tuberculosis, and Mary immediately

begins discrediting Doc Hardy. She will not believe it, and she does not

want Edmund to go to a sanatorium. She thinks that Edmund is just blowing

things out of the water in an effort to get more attention. Edmund reminds

Mary that her own father died of tuberculosis, then comments that it is

difficult having a "dope fiend for a mother." He exits, laving Mary alone.

She says aloud that she needs more morphine, and she admits that she

secretly hopes to overdose and die, but she cannot intentionally do so

because the Virgin could never forgive suicide. Tyrone reenters with more

whiskey, noting that Jamie could not pick the lock to his liquor cabinet.

Mary suddenly bursts out that Edmund will die, but Tyrone assures her that

he will be cured in six months. Mary thinks that Edmund hated her because

she is a dope fiend. Tyrone comforts her, and Mary once again blames

herself for giving birth. Cathleen announces dinner. Mary says she is not

hungry and goes to bed. Tyrone knows that she is really going for more

drugs.

Act IV, Part One

The time is midnight, and as the act begins a foghorn is heard in the

distance. Tyrone sits alone in the living room, drinking and playing

solitaire. He is drunk, and soon Edmund enters, also drunk. They argue

about keeping the lights on and the cost of the electricity. Tyrone acts

stubborn, and Edmund accuses him of believing whatever he wants, including

that Shakespeare and Wellington were Irish Catholics. Tyrone grows angry

and threatens to beat Edmund, then retracts. He gives up and turns on all

the lights. They note that Jamie is still out at the whorehouse. Edmund has

just returned from a long walk in the cold night air even though doing so

was a bad idea for his health. He states, "To hell with sense! We're all

crazy." Edmund tells Tyrone that he loves being in the fog because it lets

him live in another world. He pessimistically parodies Shakespeare, saying,

"We are such stuff as manure is made of, so let's drink up and forget it.

That's more my idea." He quotes then from the French author Baudelaire,

saying "be always drunken." He then quotes from Baudelaire about the

debauchery in the city in reference to Jamie. Tyrone criticizes all of

Edmund's literary tastes; he thinks Edmund should leave literature for God.

Tyrone thinks that only Shakespeare avoids being an evil, morbid

degenerate.

They hear Mary upstairs moving around, and they discuss her father,

who died of tuberculosis. Edmund notes that they only seem to discuss

unhappy topics together. They begin to play cards, and Tyrone tells Jamie

that even though Mary dreamed of being a nun and a pianist, she did not

have the willpower for the former or the skill for the latter; Mary deludes

herself. They hear her come downstairs but pretend not to notice. Edmund

then blames Tyrone for Mary's morphine addiction because Tyrone hired a

cheap quack. Edmund then says he hates Tyrone and blames him for Mary's

continued addiction because Tyrone never gave her a home. Tyrone defends

himself, but then Edmund says that he thinks that Tyrone believes he will

die from consumption. Edmund tells Tyrone that he, Tyrone, spends money

only on land, not on his sons. Edmund states that he will die before he

will go to a cheap sanatorium.

Tyrone brushes off his comments, saying that Edmund is drunk. But

Tyrone promises to send Edmund anywhere he wants to make him better,

"within reason." Tyrone tells Edmund that he is prudent with money because

he has always had to work for everything he has. Edmund and Jamie, by

contrast, have been able to take everything in life for granted. Tyrone

thinks that neither of his sons knows the value of money. Edmund, delving

into his deeper emotions, reminds Tyrone that he, Edmund, once tried to

commit suicide. Tyrone says that Edmund was merely drunk at the time, but

Edmund insists he was aware of his actions. Tyrone then begins to cry

lightly, telling of his destitute childhood and his terrible father. Tyrone

and Edmund, making amends, agree together on a sanatorium for Edmund, a

place that is more expensive but substantially better. Tyrone then tells

Edmund of his great theatrical mistake that prevented him from becoming

widely famous: he sold out to one particular role, and was forever more

typecast, making it difficult for him to expand his horizons and find new

work. Tyrone says that he only ever really wanted to be an artist, but his

hopes were dashed when he sold out to brief commercial success. Edmund

begins laughing "at life. It's so damned crazy," thinking of his father as

an artist.

Edmund then tells some of his memories, all of which are related to

the sea. He reflects on moments when he felt dissolved into or lost in the

ocean. He thinks that there is truth and meaning in being lost at sea, and

he thinks he should have been born a "seagull or a fish."

Act IV, Part Two

Hearing Jamie approaching the house, Tyrone steps into the next room.

Jamie enters, drunk and slurring his speech. He drinks more, but he will

not let Edmund drink at first, for health reasons. Jamie complains about

Tyrone briefly, then learns of his agreement with Edmund. Jamie says that

he spent the evening at the whorehouse, where he paid for a fat whore whom

no one else was willing to take. Edmund attacks Jamie with a punch when

Jamie begins praising himself and berating others. Jamie thanks him

suddenly for straightening him out; he has been messed up by problems

related to Mary's addiction. He and Edmund both begin to cry as they think

about their mother. Jamie is also worried about Edmund, who may die from

consumption. Jamie says that he loves Edmund, and that in a sense he made

him what he is at present.

But Jamie also admits that he has been a bad influence, and he says

that he did it on purpose. Jamie admits that he has always been jealous of

Edmund, and he wanted Edmund to also fail. He set a bad example

intentionally and tried to bring Edmund down. He then warns Edmund, saying,

"I'll do my damnedest to make you fail," but then he admits, "You're all

I've got left." Jamie then passes out.

Tyrone then reenters, having heard all that Jamie said. Tyrone says

that he has been issuing the exact same warning to Edmund for many years.

Tyrone calls Jamie a "waste." Jamie wakes up suddenly and argues with

Tyrone. Jamie and Tyrone both pass out briefly until they are awoken by the

sound of Mary playing the piano in the next room. The sound stops, and Mary

appears. She is very pale and very clearly on a substantial dose of

morphine. Jamie begins to cry, and Tyrone angrily cries that he will throw

Jamie out of his house. Mary is hallucinating, thinking that she is back in

her childhood. She thinks that she is in a convent. In her hands, she is

holding her wedding gown, which she fished out of the attic earlier. She

does not hear anyone, and she moves like a sleepwalker. Edmund suddenly

tells Mary that he has consumption, but she tells him not to touch her

because she wants to be a nun. The three men all pour themselves more

alcohol, but before they can drink, Mary begins to speak. She tells them of

her talk with Mother Elizabeth, who told her that she should experience

life out of the convent before choosing to become a nun. Mary says that she

followed that advice, went home to her parents, met and fell in love with

James Tyrone, "and was so happy for a time." The boys sit motionless and

Tyrone stirs in his chair as the play ends.

Moby Dick

Context

Herman Melville (1819-1891) was a popular writer of sea narratives before

he wrote Moby-Dick (1851). What was to become his best known novel, The

Whale; or Moby-Dick, received good reviews when it appeared in England, but

the first American edition, coming out a month later in New York, received

mixed reviews. It was not a financial success and bafied American critics

until the 20th century, when it began to be considered a classic.

Melville was not recognized as a genius in his time; his most famous works

today{Moby-Dick, short stories like "Benito Cereno," and Billy Budd{were

not widely read or heralded in the 19th century.

Melville's America was a tumultuous place. In the North, rapid

industrialization was changing social patterns and giving rise to new

wealth. In the South, the cotton interest was trying to hold onto the

system of black slavery.

America was stretching westward, and encountering Native American tribes,

as travel by train, road, sea, and canal become easier than before.

Politicians appealed to the masses as the idea of "democracy" (versus

republicanism) took hold. Nationalism was high in the early nineteenth

century, but as national interconnectedness became more feasible, the deep

divisions in society began to grow. Soon, sectionalism, racism, economic

self-interest, and bitter political struggle would culminate in the Civil

War.

Against this backdrop, Melville sailed off on his first whaling voyage in

1841. This experience became the material for his first book, Typee (1846),

a narrative that capitalized on exotic titillation about natives in the

Marquesas Islands. Becoming well known for his earthy, rowdy stories of

faraway places, he quickly followed his initial success with Omoo (1847)

and Mardi (1849).

But after Mardi, Melville's writing career started to level off. Though

Melville had once thought he could be a professional writer, Moby-Dicks

poor reviews meant that Melville would never be able to support himself by

writing alone. Melville was always firmly middle-class, though his personas

in books always seemed working-class. He had a distinguished pedigree: some

of his ancestors were Scottish and Dutch settlers of New York who played

leading roles in the American Revolution and commercial development. But

Melville often felt like the "savage" in the family, which may have

explained why he was not afraid to tackle such risky topics as slave revolt

(in "Benito Cereno") or the life-sucking potential of offce jobs ("Bartleby

the Scrivener").

Throughout his life, Melville was an avid reader. Much of his information

for Moby-Dick comes from printed sources. The number of refer

ences to difierent texts (intertextuality) in Moby-Dick testifies to the

importance of books in Melville's life. In particular, he admired Nathaniel

Hawthorne, whom he befriended in 1850 and to whom Melville dedicated the

novel. Melville admired Hawthorne's willingness to dive to deep

psychological depths and gothic grimness, traits for which he would also be

praised.

The works of Shakespeare and stories in the Bible (especially the Old

Testament) also in uenced Moby-Dick. Moreover, Melville's novel was

certainly not the first book on whaling. Whaling narratives were extremely

popular in the 19th century. In particular, Melville relied on the

encyclopedic Natural History of the Sperm Whale by Thomas Beale and the

narrative Etchings of a Whaling Cruise by J. Ross Browne. He also used

information from a volume by William Scoresby, but mostly to ridicule

Scoresby's pompous inaccuracy. One final note: many editions of Moby-Dick

have been printed. Check your edition before using this guide, because

"abridged" or "edited" versions may be difierent.

Characters

Ishmael { Ishmael is the narrator of the story, but not really the center

of it. He has no experience with whaling when he signs on and he is often

comically extravagant in his storytelling. Ishmael bears the same name as a

famous castaway in the Bible.

Ahab { The egomaniacal captain of the whalingship Pequod; his leg was taken

off by Moby Dick, the white whale. He searches frantically for the whale,

seeking revenge, and forces his crew to join him in the pursuit.

Starbuck { This native of Nantucket is the first mate of the Pequod.

Starbuck questions his commander's judgment, first in private and later in

public.

Queequeg { Starbuck's stellar harpooner and Ishmael's best friend, Queequeg

was once a prince from a South Sea island who wanted to have a worldly

adventure. Queequeg is a composite character, with an identity that is part

African, Polynesian, Islamic, Christian, and Native American.

Stubb { This native of Cape Cod is the second mate of the Pequod and always

has a bit of mischievous good humor.

Moby Dick { The great white sperm whale; an infamous and dangerous threat

to seamen like Ahab and his crew.

Tashtego { Stubb's harpooneer, Tashtego is a Gay Head Indian from Martha's

Vineyard.

Flask { This native of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard is the third mate of

the Pequod. Short and stocky, he has a confrontational attitude and no

reverence for anything.

Daggoo { Flask's harpooneer, Daggoo is a very big, dark-skinned, imperial-

looking man from Africa.

Pip { Either from Connecticut or Alabama (there is a discrepancy), Pip used

to play the tambourine and take care of the ship. After being left to oat

on the sea alone for a short period of time, he becomes mystically wise{or

possibly loses his mind.

Fedallah { Most of the crew doesn't know until the first whale chase that

Ahab has brought on board this strange "oriental" old man who is a Parsee

(Persian fire-worshipper). Fedallah has a very striking appearance: around

his head is a turban made from his own hair, and he wears a black Chinese

jacket and pants. Like Queequeg, Fedallah's character is also a composite

of Middle Eastern and East Asian traits.

Peleg { This well-to-do retired whaleman of Nantucket is one of the largest

owners of the Pequod who, with Captain Bildad, takes care of hiring the

crew. When the two are negotiating wages for Ishmael and Queequeg, Peleg

plays the generous one. He is a Quaker.

Bildad { Also a well-to-do Quaker ex-whaleman from Nantucket who owns a

large share of the Pequod, Bildad is (or pretends to be) crustier than

Peleg in negotiations over wages.

Father Mapple { The preacher in the New Bedford Whaleman's Chapel. He

delivers a sermon on Jonah and the whale.

Captain Boomer { Boomer is the jovial captain of the English whalingship

Samuel Enderby; his arm was taken off by Moby Dick

Introduction

Summary

These prefatory sections establish the groundwork for a new book about

whaling. Melville quotes from a variety of sources, revered, famous, and

obscure, that may directly address whaling or only mention a whale in

passing. The quotations include short passages from the Bible, Shakespeare,

John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), other well-known poems,

dictionaries, whaling and travel narratives, histories, and songs. The

Etymology section, looking at the derivations of "whale," is compiled by a

"late consumptive usher to a grammar school," and the Extracts section, a

selection of short quotations describing whales or whaling, by a "sub-sub-

librarian."

Melville's humor comes through in these sections, both in the way he pokes

fun at the "poor devil of a Sub-Sub" and mentions even the tiniest

reference to a whale in these literary works.

Chapters 1-9

Summary

The story begins with one of the most famous opening lines in literary

history: "Call me Ishmael." Whatever Ishmael's "real" name, his adopted

name signals his identification with the Biblical outcast from the Book of

Genesis.

He explains that he went to sea because he was feeling a "damp, drizzly

November in [his] soul" and wanted some worldly adventure. In the mood for

old-fashioned whaling, Ishmael heads to New Bedford, the current center of

whaling, to catch a ferry to Nantucket, the previous center of whaling.

After wandering through the black streets of New Bedford, he finally

stumbles upon The Spouter-Inn, owned by Peter Coffn. First passing by a

large, somewhat inscrutable oil painting and a collection of "monstrous

clubs and spears," Ishmael walks into a room filled with "a wild set of

mariners." Because the inn is nearly full, Ishmael learns that he will have

to share a room with "a dark complexioned" harpooner named Queequeg. At

first, Ishmael decides that he would rather sleep on a bench than share a

bed with some strange, possibly dangerous man. But, discovering the bench

to be too uncomfortable, he decides to put up with the unknown harpooner,

who, Coffn assures him, is perfectly fine because "he pays reg'lar." Still,

Ishmael is worried since Coffn tells him that the harpooner has recently

arrived from the South Sea and peddles shrunken heads. When the Queequeg

finally returns, the frightened Ishmael watches Queequeg from the bed,

noting with a little horror the harpooner's tattoos, tomahawk/pipe, and

dark-colored idol.

When Queequeg finally discovers Ishmael in his bed, he ourishes the

tomahawk as Ishmael shouts for the owner. After Coffn explains the

situation, they settle in for the night and, when they wake up, Queequeg's

arm is affectionately thrown over Ishmael. Ishmael is sorry for his

prejudices against the "cannibal," finding Queequeg quite civilized, and

they become fast, close friends.

The chapters called The Street, The Chapel, The Pulpit, and The Sermon

establish the atmosphere in which Ishmael sets out on his whaling mission.

Because of its maritime industry, New Bedford is a cosmopolitan town, full

of difierent sorts of people (Lascars, Malays, Feegeeans, Tongatabooans,

Yankees, and green Vermonters). In this town is the Whaleman's Chapel,

where the walls are inscribed with memorials to sailors lost at sea and the

pulpit is like a ship's bow. The preacher in this chapel, Father Mapple, is

a favorite among whalemen because of his sincerity and sanctity. Once a

sailor and harpooner, Mapple now delivers sermons. His theme for this

Sunday: Jonah, the story of the prophet swallowed by "a great fish." (Today

we talk about "Jonah and the Whale.") Mapple preaches a story about man's

sin, willful disobedience of the command of God, and ight from Him. But,

says Mapple, the story also speaks to him personally as a command "To

preach the Truth in the face of Falsehood!" with a confidence born from

knowing God's will.

Chapters 10-21

Summary

In these chapters we learn more about the relationship between Ishmael and

Queequeg. Upon third consideration, Ishmael develops a great respect for

his new friend. Although still a "savage," Queequeg becomes, in Ishmael's

mind, "George Washington cannibalistically developed." Furthermore, after

having intimate chats with him in bed, Ishmael admires Queequeg's sincerity

and lack of Christian "hollow courtesies." Quick friends, they are

"married" after a social smoke. The chapter called Biographical gives more

information on Queequeg's past, detailing the harpooner's life as a son of

a High Chief or King of Kokovoko. Intent on seeing the world, he paddled

his way to a departing ship and persisted so stubbornly that they finally

allowed him to stow away as a whaleman. Queequeg can never go back because

his interaction with Christianity has made him unfit to ascend his

homeland's "pure and undefiled throne" and so, says Ishmael, "that barbed

iron [a harpoon] was in lieu of a sceptre now."

Together, they set off with a wheelbarrow full of their things for

Nantucket. On the packet over to Nantucket, a bumpkin mimics

Queequeg.Queequeg ips him around to punish him, and is subsequently scolded

by the captain. But when the bumpkin is swept overboard as the ship has

technical dificulties, Queequeg takes charge of the ropes to secure the

boat and then dives into the water to save the man overboard. This action

wins everyone's respect.

Melville then writes a bit about Nantucket's history, about the "red-

men"who first settled there, its ecology, its dependence on the sea for

livelihood.

When the two companions arrive, they have a pot of the best chowder at the

Try Pots. Charged by Yojo (Queequeg's wooden idol) to seek a ship for the

two of them, Ishmael comes upon the Pequod, a ship "with an old fashioned

claw-footed look about her" and "apparelled like any barbaric Ethiopian

emperor, his neck heavy with pendants of polished ivory." But the Pequod is

not just exotic to Ishmael; he also calls it a "cannibal of a craft"

because it is bejeweled with whale parts. On board, he makes a deal with

Peleg and Bildad, the Quaker owners of the ship, characterized as conniving

cheapskates and bitter taskmasters. Evaluating Ishmael for his lay (portion

of the ship's proffts, a whaleman's wage), Peleg finally gives him the

300th lay. (This, Bildad says, is "generous.") At this time, Ishmael also

learns that the ship's captain is Ahab, named after a wicked and punished

Biblical king. Although Ahab has seemed a little moody since he lost his

leg to the white whale Moby Dick, Bildad and Peleg believe in his

competence. Ishmael does not meet the captain in person until much later.

Returning to the inn, Ishmael allows Queequeg a day for his "Ramadan"

ceremonies and then becomes worried when his friend does not answer the

door in the evening. When the panicking Ishmael finally gets the door open,

he finds Queequeg deep in meditation. The next day, they return to the

Pequod to sign Queequeg up. Though the owners object at first to Queequeg's

paganism, the Kokovokan impresses them with his skill by hitting a spot of

tar on a mast with a harpoon. They give him the 90th lay, "more than ever

was given a harpooneer yet out of Nantucket." Although Bildad still tries

to convert Queequeg, Peleg tells him to give up. "Pious harpooneers never

make good voyagers { it takes the shark out of 'em; no harpooneer is worth

a straw who aint pretty sharkish."

Just after signing the papers, the two run into a man named Elijah (a

prophet, or just some frightening stranger) who hints to them about the

peril of signing aboard Ahab's ship. They disregard him. For several days,

there is preparation for the dangerous voyage. When they are near the ship,

Ishmael thinks that he sees some "shadows" boarding the ship, but then

dismisses the idea. Elijah warns them again just before they board.

Chapters 22-31

Summary

At Christmas, the ship finally heaves off from the port and Ishmael gets

his first taste of the rigors of whaling life. As the boat sails away from

civilization, Bulkington, a noble sailor that Ishmael saw at the Coffn inn,

appears on the Pequod's decks, and makes Ishmael wax sentimental about the

heroism in sailing into the deeps.

In the chapter called The Advocate, Ishmael defends the whaling profession

in a series of arguments and responses. Whaling is a heroic business, he

says, that is economically crucial (for the oil) and has resulted in

geographical discovery. He finds the utmost dignity in whaling: a subject

of good genealogy, worthy enough for Biblical writers and also educational.

These, he says, are facts. He can't praise sperm whaling enough and even

suggests that sperm oil has been used to anoint kings because it is the

best, purest, and sweetest.

In the chapter called Knights and Squires, we meet the mates and their

lieutenants. The first mate, Starbuck, is a pragmatic, reliable

Nantucketer. Speaking about Starbuck leads Ishmael to carry on about the

working man and democratic equality. The pipe-smoking second mate Stubb, a

native of Cape Cod, is always cool under pressure and has "impious good

humor."

Third mate Flask, a native of Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard, is a short,

stocky fellow with a confrontational attitude and no reverence for the

dignity of the whale. He is nicknamed "King-Post" because he resembles the

short, square timber known by that name in Arctic whalers. Already

introduced, Queequeg is Starbuck's harpooner. Stubb's "squire" is Tashtego,

"an unmixed Indian from Gay Head" (Martha's Vineyard). Flask's harpooner is

Daggoo, "a gigantic, coal-black negro-savage" from Africa with an imperial

bearing.

The rest of the crew is also mostly international. But, says Ishmael, all

these "Isolatoes" are "federated along one keel" and unified by

accompanying Ahab. Ishmael also makes small mention of Pip, a poor Alabama

boy who beats a tambourine on ship.

Ahab finally appears on deck and Ishmael observes closely. He sees Ahab as

a very strong, willful figure, though his encounter with the whale has

scarred him. Certainly, Ahab seems a bit psychologically troubled. Ahab's

relationship to others on the boat is one of total dictatorship. When Stubb

complains about Ahab's pacing, Ahab calls him a dog and advances on him.

Stubb retreats. The next morning, Stubb wakes up and explains to Flask that

he had a dream that Ahab kicked him with his ivory leg. (The title of this

chapter, Queen Mab, refers to Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, in

which the character Mercutio talks about weird dreams.)

Chapters 32-40

"Cetology," as Ishmael explains, is "the science of whales." In the

Cetology chapter and subsequent cetology- like chapters in the book,

Ishmael tries to dissect whales scientifically. After including some

quotations from previous writers on the whale, Ishmael says he here

attempts a "draught" (draft) of a whale classification system that others

can revise. He divides the whales into books and chapters (like today's

Linnaean system that includes genus and species). His first subject is the

sperm whale. At the end of the chapter, he pronounces it a "drought of a

draught." The Specksynder is another cetology-like chapter in that it tries

to dissect the whaling industry. Beginning with trivia about the changing

role of the specksynder (literally, "fat-cutter"), who used to be chief

harpooneer and captain, Ishmael moves on to a discussion of leadership

styles, particularly that of royal or imperial leaders.

The chapter called The Cabin-Table returns to the plot, showing the ship's

offcers at dinner. This is a rigid afiair over which Ahab presides. After

the offcers finish, the table is re-laid for the harpooneers. Then Ishmael

discusses his first post on the mast-head watching for whales. He writes a

history of mast-heads and their present role on a whaling ship. Ishmael,

who can rarely stick only to one subject or one level of thinking,

discusses metaphorical meanings of what he sees. Then, in the chapter

called The Quarter-Deck, he returns to narrative plot, dramatizing Ahab's

first offcial appearance before the men. Ahab's call and response tests the

crew, checking whether they know what to do, and unites them under his

leadership.

Presenting a Spanish gold doubloon, he proclaims. "Whosoever of ye raises

me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever

of ye raises me that while-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his

starboard uke - look ye, whosoever of ye raises that same white whale, he

shall have this gold ounce, my boys!" The men cheer. Ahab then confesses,

in response to Starbuck's query, that it was indeed this white whale Moby

Dick who took off his leg, and announces his quest to hunt him down. The

men shout together that they will hunt with Ahab, though Starbuck protests.

Ahab then begins a ritual that binds the crew together. He fills a cup with

alcohol and everyone on the ship drinks from that agon. Telling the

harpooners to cross their lances before him, Ahab grasps the weapons and

anoints Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo "my three pagan kinsmen there -yon

three most honorable gentlemen and noble men." He then makes them take the

iron off of the harpoons to use as drinking goblets. They all drink

together while Ahab proclaims, "God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby

Dick to his death!"

Another chapter beginning with a stage direction, Sunset is a melancholy

monologue by Ahab. He says that everyone thinks he is mad and he agrees

somewhat. He self- consciously calls himself "demoniac" and "madness

maddened." Even though he seems to be the one orchestrating events, he does

not feel in control: "The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails,

whereon my soul is grooved to run." Dusk is Starbuck's monologue. Though he

feels that it will all come out badly, he feels inextricably bound to Ahab.

When he hears the revelry coming from the crew's forecastle, he laments the

whole, doomed voyage. First Night-Watch is Stubb's monologue, giving

another perspective on the voyage. Midnight, Forecastle is devoted to the

jolly men who take turns showing off and singing together. They get into a

fight when the Spanish Sailor makes fun of Daggoo. The onset of a storm,

however, stops their fighting and makes them tend to the ship.

Chapters 41-47

Summary

Ishmael is meditative again, starting with a discussion of the white

whale's history. Rumors about Moby Dick are often out of control, he says,

because whale fishermen "are by all odds the most directly brought into

contact with whatever is appallingly astonishing in the sea; face to face

they not only eye its greatest marvels, but, hand to jaw, give battle to

them." It is easy to attach metaphorical meaning or make up legend about

dangerously intense, life-threatening experiences. Ishmael is skeptical,

though, about assertions that Moby Dick is immortal. He admits that there

is a singular whale called Moby Dick who is distinguished by his "peculiar

snow-white wrinkled forehead, and a high, pyramidical white hump" and that

this whale is known to have destroyed boats in a way that seems

"intelligent." No wonder Ahab hates the white whale, says Ishmael, since it

does seem that Moby Dick did it out of spite.

Intertwined with Moby Dick's history is Ahab's personal history. When the

white whale took off Ahab's leg, the whale became to Ahab "the monomaniac

incarnation of all those malicious agencies which some deep men feel eating

in them, till they are left living on with half a heart and half a lung."

Ahab's reaction was to magnify the symbolism of the whale: the whale didn't

just take off his leg, but represents everything that he hates and

everything that torments him. Ahab went crazy on the trip home, says

Ishmael, though he tried to appear sane.

The Whiteness of the Whale turns from what Moby Dick means to Ahab, to what

it means to Ishmael. Above all, he says, it is the whiteness of the whale

that appalls him. (Note Ishmael's pun{the root of the word "appall"

literally means to turn white.) Ishmael begins his cross-cultural

discussion of "whiteness" by saying how much it has been idealized as

virtue or nobility.

To him, however, the color white only multiplies terror when it is attached

with any object "terrible" in itself.

After a short dramatic scene (Hark!) where the sailors say to each other

that they think there may be something or someone in the after-hold,

Ishmael returns to an examination of Ahab in The Chart. Because Ahab

believes that his skill with charts will help him locate Moby Dick, Ishmael

discusses how one might scientifically track a whale. In The Afidavit,

Ishmael explains in organized form "the natural verity of the main points

of this afiair." He realizes that this story seems preposterous in many

ways and wants to convince the reader that his story is real by listing the

"true" bases for this story in quasi-outline form (first, personal

experiences, then tales of whale fishermen or collective memory, and

finally books). He then looks at why people may not believe these stories.

Perhaps readers haven't heard about the perils or vivid adventures in the

whaling industry, he says. Or maybe they do not understand the immensity of

the whale. He asks that the audience use "human reasoning" when judging his

story.

The chapter called Surmises returns the focus to Ahab, considering how the

captain will accomplish his revenge. Because Ahab must use men as his

tools, Ahab has to be very careful. How can he motivate them? Ahab can

appeal to their hearts, but also he knows that cash will keep them going.

Ahab further knows that he has to watch that he does not leave himself open

to charges of "usurpation." That is, he has to follow standard operating

procedure, lest he give his offcers reason to overrule him.

The Mat-Maker returns to the plot. Ishmael describes slow, dreamy

atmosphere on the ship when they are not after a whale. He and Queequeg are

making a sword-mat, and, in a famous passage, likens their weaving to work

on "the Loom of Time." (The threads of the warp are fixed like necessity.

Man has limited free will: he can interweave his own woof crossthreads into

this fixed structure. When Queequeg's sword hits the loom and alters the

overall pattern, Ishmael calls this chance.) What jolts him out of his

reverie is Tashtego's call for a whale. Suddenly, everyone is busied in

preparations for the whale hunt. Just as they are about to push off in

boats, "five dusky phantoms" emerge around Ahab.

Chapters 48-54

Summary

These chapters return us to the action of Moby-Dick. We meet Fedallah for

the first time, described as a dark, sinister figure with a Chinese jacket

and turban made from coiling his own hair around his head. We also meet for

the first time the "tiger-yellow ... natives of the Manillas" (Ahab's boat

crew) who were hiding in the hold of the Pequod. The other crews are

staring at the newly discovered shipmates, but Flask tells them to continue

doing their jobs{that is, to concentrate on hunting the whale.

The Pequod's first lowering after the whale is not very successful.

Queequeg manages to get a dart in the whale but the animal overturns the

boat.

The men are nearly crushed by the ship as it passes looking for them,

because a squall has put a mist over everything.

The chapter called The Hyena functions as a mooring of sorts{a self-

conscious look back that puts everything in perspective. In this chapter,

Ishmael talks about laughing at things, what a hyena is known for. Finding

out that such dangerous conditions are typical, Ishmael asks Queequeg to

help him make his will.

Ishmael then comments on Ahab's personal crew. Ahab's decision to have his

own boat and crew, says Ishmael, is not a typical practice in the whaling

industry. But however strange, "in a whaler, wonders soon wane" because

there are so many unconventional sights in a whaler: the sheer variety of

people, the strange ports of call, and the distance and disconnectedness of

the ships themselves from land-based, conventional society. But even though

whalemen are not easily awe-struck, Ishmael does say "that hair- turbaned

Fedallah remained a mufied mystery to the last." He is "such a creature as

civilized, domestic people in the temperate zone only see in their dreams,

and that but dimly."

Ishmael then focuses on Fedallah. On the masthead one night, the Parsee

thinks he sees a whale spouting. The whole ship then tries to follow it,

but the whale is not seen again until some days later. Ishmael calls it a

"spirit-spout" because it seems to be a phantom leading them on. Some think

it might be Moby Dick leading the ship on toward its destruction. The ship

sails around the Cape of Good Hope (Africa), a particularly treacherous

passage.

Through it all, Ahab commands the deck robustly and even when he is down in

the cabin, he keeps his eye on the cabin-compass that tells him where the

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