Feb 24 2010
Inherent Dignity and sublimity of the Sperm Whale
In a previous post, I discussed Melville’s anthropomorphization of the sperm whale. However, he frequently takes this several steps farther. Not only does he see the whale as human, but he often sees it as above human, almost godlike. This is demonstrated many times throughout the text. In chapter 85, The Fountain, Melville discussed whether or not the whale has a voice. He concludes that it does not.
But then again, what has the whale to say? Seldom have I known any profound being that had anything to say in this world, unless forced to stammer out something by way of getting a living.
Melville sees this silence as majestic. Of course, the second part of this statement seems to reflect on Melville himself, excusing him from speaking in writing this book. More importantly, though, is the sense of the whale as profound, a noble creature. Later in this chapter, Melville discusses the whale spout, debating whether it is mist or water. He states that it is mist, and explains
to this conclusion i am impelled, by considerations touching the great inherent dignity and sublimity of the Sperm Whale; I account him for no common shallwo being…He is both ponderous and profound. And I am convinced that from the ehads of all ponderous and profound beings, such as Plato, Pyrrho, the Devil, Jupiter, Dante, and so on, there always goes up a certain semi-visible steam, while in the act of thinking deep thoughts.
The whale is not only majestic because of his size or mystery. He is a thinker of deep thoughts, profound on the level of Dante. The mention of the Devil is a bit puzzling, as it suggests some sort of evil lurks within the whale. However, evil or no, this creature ranks among the most sublime human thinkers. Melville not only respects the whale, he seems to have some worshipful reverence towards it, and its “great inherent dignity.” His encounters with whales seem to have convinced him of this, and Ishmael as well. It does make one wonder how a man, a whaler, who sees the whale such could justify killing these creatures en masse.
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I think your last point is one of the most crucial topics in the book. If we are to consider Moby Dick Ishmael’s text, from the first “Etymology” and “Extracts” sections all the way through the epic story to the epilogue, we are made aware, more than anything, of the whale’s sheer power to the point of Godliness, and the respect it commands from Ishmael and the rest of the crew. It is an object of worship throughout every chapter. It is a sobering realization that most men on the Pequod make their living by sailing around killing the animal that they also worship and respect. Whaling is a job for these men, the killing and slicing up of the whale’s body a necessary task to get paid. Is this a problem? Is Melville saying that the impulse to violently kill that which we admire is natural? Queequeg showed a desire to save a whale in “The Grand Armada,” but he is one of the most skilled killers. It is hard to reconcile these two attitudes which are so heavily discussed in the book.