Moby Dick

A close reading of the chapter “The Spirit Spout” betrays certain aspects of generally more understated functions of Melville’s narrative voice. Though the central aspect of this chapter is the “Spirit Spout” itself, there is an equally intriguing, if as of yet under discussed, part at the end of the chapter where Starbuck finds Ahab asleep in his cabin in a position that indicates that Ahab has been obsessively watching the direction of the ship’s course. I find this an interesting part of the narrative because the careful choice of language, along with the fact that Ishmael has been privy to the “spirit spout” in the earlier paragraphs of this chapter indicate that we are being talked to by Ishmael, but at the end of the chapter we see a sudden switch to a situation that Ishmael would have no way of commenting on. This shift in narrative voice in combination with continuity of tone indicate that Melville wants to tell us something of a philosophic nature about the scene in Ahab’s cabin. Certain aspects of the scene stand out, and individual words cannot be ignored because of the care and attention that was put into this chapter.

Never could Starbuck forget the old man’s aspect, when one night going down into the cabin to mark how the barometer stood…

This quote in particular seems very important. The narrator is saying that Starbuck is descending into the realm of Ahab. I do not feel like I am reading too much into the action of “Descending” when I say that the reader can conjure up images of the underworld or hell from hearing this seemingly simple sentence. I believe that the narrator wants to inform the reader’s interpretation of the “spirit spout” by showing that Ahab is chasing it down even in his sleep, as he is seen to be asleep while facing the compass. The crew has many different interpretations of what the spout might be or what it could signify, so by affirming Ahab’s obsession with it in proving that he is hoping to follow the direction of the spout we see that those that think there is something demonic about the spout may very well be in the right.

It also cannot be ignored that the narrator provides us with an interesting side note at the end of the chapter. In reference to the hanging compass we are told specifically that…

The cabin-compass is called the tell-tale, because without going to the compass at the helm, the captain, while below, can inform himself of the course of the ship.

Regardless of whether or not it is significant that “The Tell-Tale Heart” was published eight years prior to Moby Dick, the wording “Tell-Tale” carries the same ominous meaning. The narrator clearly finds it important to bring the reader out of the flow of the text so as to tell them that the tool Ahab is using to keep track of the direction of the ship is something that is ominous, and as a result the task that is being carried out with its aid is likely equally dark.

I for one feel that it is extremely important that we look this closely at this specific section of the story because through this scene we are able to see many things that will be mainstays throughout the book. Ahab’s obsession, Ahab’s madness, Starbuck’s questioning of Ahab’s ability to lead, the crew’s belief that Moby Dick is something more than whale, and Ahab’s connection with evil. All of these things are incredibly important aspects of the plot and as such it is no surprise that they are represented so strongly, and all at once, in this very significant part of the story.

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