Mar 01 2010
The Mystery of The Fountain
In Chapter 85, The Fountain, Ishmael explains the Sperm Whale’s spout, and proceeds to explain how the Sperm Whale has many features he admires, further elevating his opinion of the Sperm Whale and perhaps hinting at conservation, as we discussed in class.
As Ishmael explains, the Sperm Whale spouts when he surfaces to breathe. In a way, the whale’s spout is his achilles heel; the way whalers spot whales is usually by their spouts, and if a whale hadn’t surfaced whalers couldn’t harpoon them. Ishmael comments on this when he says “Not so much thy skill, then, O hunter, as the great necessities that strike the victory to thee!” (359). This sentence humbles whalers. You are indebted to the whale and his anatomy, Ishmael seems to say, for if he didn’t need to surface you would never catch him at all.
Ishmael continues to tick off the features of the whale that he admires. He likes that whales don’t talk: “Seldom have I known any profound being that had anything to say to this world, unless forced to stammer out something by way of getting a living” (360). His admiration culminates in his admiration of the whales as great thinkers, and he compares the whale spout to the “visible steam” above the heads of Plato, Pyrrho, etc. that comes from the activity of thinking hard, similar to the way his hair was wet because he had drank six cups of hot tea in August. This last comparison sounds ironic, but it is by his exagerration that Ishmael makes it clear how much he respects the Sperm Whales.
In terms of conservation, Ishmael includes how the whale’s spout is believed to be acidic and poisonous, and says that “the wisest thing the investigator can do then, it seems to me, is to let this deadly spout alone” (361). This seems to refer to Ahab’s stubborn pursuit of that which he knows to be harmful, with Ishmael suggesting that the wisest thing Ahab can to is to leave Moby Dick alone. I think that Ishmael also meant it as a conservationist message. Even though Ishmael must kill the whales, he by no means thinks of himself as superior to them because he pursues them. He does not eve think of himself as their equals. Rather, he is humbled by them, recognizing that it is only in their need to spout that he can hunt them, and furthermore, only in their existance that he can even define himself as a “whaler.”
Throughout “The Fountain,” Ishmael tells readers how they should be amazed and humbled the way he is by a beautiful and majestic creature. Reading this chapter after we discussed Melville’s desire to “save the whales,” or at least some of them, I feel that this was one chapter where Melville had conservation on his mind.
3 Responses to “The Mystery of The Fountain”
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This is a great post! I always loved when Ishmael discussed the merits and general awesomeness of whales. In all cetology chapters, even those mainly devoted to their terrifying aspects, Ishmael reserves a portion for his admiration of them. “The Fountain” is case in point. Whalers’ pride in their skill and dominance as a “superior being” must be tempered by the fact that they cannot kill whales while they are not visible. And it is a wonderful that Ishmael includes whales’ profundity in not communicating. I am not so sure we should totally trust Ishmael on that account – whales do communicate after all – but, going along with his claim, I think it is true that many quiet people are profound. Think about the most profound, intellectual people you know! And, aboard the Pequod, Ishmael believes that Queequeg, who rarely speaks after their initial introduction, has a large degree of profundity. The last part of the sentence, “unless forced to stammer out something by way of getting a living,” seems to promote this reading as it may describe Queequeg. Ahab, meanwhile, seems to be an interesting case. Ishmael, I think, holds a large amount of respect and admiration for Ahab’s purpose, even if he thinks that it is ultimately not wise but mad. Ishmael had not quite reached his decisive break in belief with Ahab at this point, but this may have pointed the way. Ahab, though largely silent, comes forth with large soliloquys explaining his beliefs. I really like your evidence of foreshadowing Moby Dick, too, in the line in which Ishmael decides that it is best to leave whales’ deadly spouts alone. It is strange, too, that the very thing that allows whalers to kill whales is in itself dangerous. I am having some trouble unpacking what that could mean, but it is yet another little gem of an inclusion from Melville. Ishmael’s, and, in this case, Melville’s, reverence and admiration of whales does seem to lend itself well for a possible conservation message.
This is a very insightful and interesting post. Melville very often uses synecdoche to represent the whales by their spout, and it was a great idea to analyze Melville’s portrayal of the spout. Ishmael conveys his opinions of the whales relatively indirectly — mainly through descriptions of appearance or behavior. In some instances, such as in “The First Lowering,” the spout is depicted as being somewhat mysterious and fearsome, and in “The Fountain,” as you pointed out, this same phenomenon is an object of admiration. While I think that there is no doubt that Ishmael respects the whales, this use of the same part of the whales’ body and behavior to convey two very different emotions demonstrates that respect is born of both fear and admiration.
In response to the above reply, the idea that Ishmael’s description of his admiration for the whale can be considered to be symbolic of his admiration for Queequeg is very interesting, and something I had not thought of before. Perhaps this arises from Ishmael’s view of those that are different from him, and is meant to be a commentary on prejudice. In significantly different ways, Queequeg and the whales are both very different — Queequeeg being of another race and from another culture, and the whale being a different species, among other differences. Those that are perceived as different are often perceived as strange, and this can bring negative connotations and fear.
You make an interesting point…I had never thought about Ishmael’s comment about quiet people referring to Queequeg. I feel that Melville does a lot of beating on man’s pride in this book, and his preference of quietness is another one of those. He seems to think the men that talk a lot think they are saying a lot when silence is all that is needed. What comes to mind is when he describes Sag Harbor’s incessant complaints about the story of Jonah in “Jonah Historically Regarded.” Ishmael seems to feel that since Sag Harbor talks so much, he misses the point of the story of Jonah, which is to respect it and believe it even if you can’t explain it.