Moby Dick

In chapter 22 (“Merry Christmas”), the ship is finally setting out:

At last the anchor was up, the sails were set, and off we glided. It was a short, cold Christmas; and as the short northern day merged into night, we found ourselves almost broad upon the wintry ocean, whose freezing spray cased us in ice, as in polished armor. The long rows of teeth on the bulwarks glistened in the moonlight; and like the white ivory tusks of some huge elephant, vast curving icicles depended from the bows (92).

I think it is interesting how Melville/Ishmael uses weather and nature in this section. It is so cold outside that the water sprays the crew and coats them like they were wearing “polished armor” (92). Though one would think that the terribly cold elements would be a detriment, they are described in different terms. Instead, the freezing spray is almost providing a type of protection and is symbolically arming the crew for battle with the whales. The rest of the ship gets similar treatment, but it is described like a giant ferocious animal. When I first read this section, I immediately recalled tales of battle and the preparation and arming scenes that inevitably go along with them. Although I would imagine that the physical conditions (and the weather) would be horrible during winter in the Atlantic Ocean, Melville/Ishmael seems to want the reader to visualize the crew (and ship) as more than ready for the task ahead.

This point seems reinforced a couple paragraphs later:

Spite of this frigid winter night in the boisterous Atlantic, spite of my wet feet and wetter jacket, there was yet, it then seemed to me, many a pleasant haven in store; and meads and glades so eternally vernal, that the grass shot up by the spring, untrodden, unwilted, remains at midsummer (92).

In this case, Ishmael acknowledges that the weather is indeed miserable, but yet his spirits remain high. He is clearly optimistic and looking forward to this journey–Ishmael sees “many a pleasant haven in store” on this trip (92). The language used to describe spring seems to imply something of a birth (or rebirth) for Ishmael, and this whaling expedition appears to be the impetus for that rebirth. It is fascinating to see how Melville, by using only a little language about nature, is able to imply so much about the mental readiness of the crew and Ishmael’s excitement to go to sea.

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