Feb 28 2010
Mother Nature as Stepmother
As one of the most explicitly gendered chapters in the entire novel, “The Symphony” provides a host of opportunities for interpretation. Neither does Melville seem entirely consistent with what he describes as “feminine” or “masculine,” within this chapter or throughout the text as a whole. The “masculine sea” in “The Symphony” has been decidedly feminine and even maternal in the past, and other female descriptions of the natural world in the chapter seem to conflict with this masculinized sea that is a part of it. In fact, the “strong, troubled murderous thinkings” of the sea creatures seem to describe Ahab more than anything – furthering the idea that he is somehow apart from the rest of the world, and also foreshadowing the violent nature of what is to come. I was especially surprised to hear the (feminine and natural) world called a “step-mother” for Ahab, “cruel – and forbidding” in the past but which actually “now threw affectionate arms round his stubborn neck” (479). Reading this I was curious if by 1850 the “cruel step-mother” stereotype that has been so reinforced in modern culture had yet taken root.
Nevertheless, if Ahab has indeed lost his humanity, as we have discussed several times in class, then it makes sense for the feminized world encompassing humanity and nature to be only indirectly related to him – thus a stepmother rather than a biological mother. As this chapter is all about making the reader sympathize with the grizzled old captain, that he is again distanced from this world by some “cruel” force even as he describes his desire to return to his family and the world of normalcy is very bittersweet. In fact, the thing that holds him back again and again seems to be himself, “the cantankerous thing in his soul” (478). Perhaps Mother Nature herself is responsible for putting this “thing” there and driving him to these lengths; and yet, even if he would now be welcome into this other world represented by his “stepmother,” it is too late for Ahab to turn back. What began as a chapter with some margin of hope that Ahab could accept the embrace of the world at large and abandon his suicidal search for Moby Dick ends with bleak resignation that Ahab is doomed, unable to shake off the cruel binds of his calling.
One Response to “Mother Nature as Stepmother”
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I really enjoyed this post and found it quite thought-provoking. “The Symphony” is an interesting chapter, but I hadn’t thought about it in terms of gender. After you noted how the natural world was referred to as a “stepmother,” I immediately remembered earlier in the text when Ishmael was sent to bed by his own cruel stepmother. I would be curious to hear what you think about how the feminine is portrayed in this novel, but also I wonder what it means that a stepmother is continually referenced (instead of just a mother). What does it mean to be one more step removed from a “natural” feminine influence? Is the implication that Ahab (and perhaps Ishamel) never found a true healthy relationship with the natural world since he is not actually “related” to it? Perhaps this is reading too much into it, but your post is definitely intriguing. I’m really interested in this topic, and I’m glad you posted about it. Thanks.