Feb 02 2010
The Absence of the Specksynder
In the chapter, “The Specksynder,” (sorry for going back in the text, I just thought this was an interesting place to comment on Melville’s notion of work/slavery) Melville discusses a job lacking on the Pequod, which is that of the Specksynder. Considering the Specksynder’s role of splitting the leadership of the whaling vessel with the captain, it is not surprising that Melville left the position out of his novel. With a Specksynder around, someone would have been able to put Ahab’s dangerous aspirations at bay, being in control of the part of the ship that directly relates to Ahab’s goal of hunting and killing Moby Dick. Ahab embodies the absolute ruler of the ship in this respect further, as he has his own secret crew set aside for the killing of the great, white whale. Melville, makes readers aware of the potential Specksynder as a foil for how Ahab handles the whale-hunting portion of his crew, which is with the utmost control, as there is no better way to make something all yours than by making it your secret.
Melville’s description of the Specksynder also serves as a foil for Ahab himself. Ahab hides out below deck for the beginning of the voyage, separating himself from the crew as much as possible, and when he ascends he remains aloof, unless he is clearly exhibiting his power over the ship through a “team rallying” session in “The Quarter-Deck.” Melville writes of the Specksynder, on the other hand:
…therefore, the grand political maxim of the sea demands, that [the Specksynder] should nominally live apart from the men before the mast, and be in some way distinguished as their professional superior; though always, by them, familiarly regarded as their social equal.
Ahab’s behavior certainly does not conduce social equality with his crew on the Pequod. Also, in keeping with the metaphor of the Pequod as the nation from which it set sail, the absence of the Specksynder is very telling. Without this position, there is no real bridge between the absolute authority of the boat (the nation) and the crew (the people, or the slaves, as they are trapped on Ahab’s boat and thus slaves to his will). One could argue that the mates could serve such a purpose, but, alas, they remain under the absolute authority of the captain. Thus, (hopefully this is not too much of a stretch) such laws as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 are allowed to pass in America because there is no social arbiter, really, between the political authorities and those whom the laws most affect, i.e. the slaves, just as the crew cannot avoid Ahab’s dangerous mission now that they are on his craft. In Moby Dick, perhaps Melville tries to emphasize the political importance of the position of the Specksynder, as such is needed to keep the government from ruling over the lowliest of men without the latter’s best interests in mind.
One Response to “The Absence of the Specksynder”
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Jessica, this is wonderful thinking here! You are absolutely right — the absence of the Specksnyder is not an accident, and Melville pauses in the text to point it out so that we can all think about how Ahab’s absolute power would be tempered by the presence of another powerful man on board. And I loved the connection you made between Melville’s hope for a balance of power (and his pointing out the lack of it) and the condition of the US in its antebellum, post-Mexican War, 1850’s Fugitive Slave Act phase. The absence of a clear leader to challenge the status quo is deeply felt in America until Lincoln emerges as the clear Presidential winner in 1860 — ten years AFTER the slave law, and nine years after Melville’s novel.