Moby Dick

Many of the middle chapters of the novel concern work on the ship, the multitude of which Melville/Ishamel detail in order to convey the scope, amount, and difficulty of the labor involved in running the ship. Ishmael also outlines the hierarchies of labor and laborers present on the ship, which I discussed in my last blog post. I wanted to hone in on a specific chapter, “The Monkey-Rope,” which follows Ishmael’s pattern of detailing work on the ship in the context of a philosophical lesson. It depicts one of the most difficult parts of the whaling process, displays hierarchy (or the lack thereof) between workers, and besides that, it is a pretty funny visual. “In the tumultuous business of cutting-in and attending to a whale, there is much running backwards and forwards among the crew,” Ishamel begins the chapter. “Now hands are wanted here. And then again hands are wanted there. There is no staying in any one place; for at one and the same time everything has to be done everywhere. It is much the same with him who endeavors the description of the scene” (286). The consistency with which ‘all hands’ are required in this long, arduous process, the improbable task of piecing apart a mostly-submerged whale merely tied to a ship in the middle of the rolling ocean, is truly a testament to the whalers’ abilities, which Melville clearly admires. The actual use of the monkey-rope sees Ishmael and Queequeg literally joined at the hip by a cord as Queequeg attempts to mount, then strip the whale; Ishamael senses the absurdity of this labor, terming it a “humorously perilous business” (287). After detailing the labor, Ishmael reveals the philosophical ‘point’ he is using it to make.

“So strongly and metaphysically did I conceive of my situation then, that while earnestly watching his motions, I seemed distinctly to perceive that my own individuality was now merged in a joint stock company of two: that my free will had received a mortal wound; and that another’s mistake or misfortune might plunge innocent me in unmerited disaster and death” (287).

Although he somewhat dehumanizes himself and Queequeg as laborers, Ishmael more importantly recognizes the necessary breakdown of the labor hierarchy in order to get the job done. Lacking free will, the labor itself now governs them, and both lives depend on each other’s skill and commitment to the labor. It is interesting to work in a job in which one literally faces death, which Ishamel recognizes. Also funny (in a dark way) is the scene in which Tashtego and Daggoo thrust their whale-spades into the water after the sharks, which endangers Queequeg’s life with every thrust. In an occupation filled with hazards, this is certainly one of the greatest. Ishmael, though, sees philosophy in labor once again, and even the humor in putting one’s life in peril.

As the chapters discussing whaling pile up in the novel, Melville reveals the unrelenting nature of whaling and the constant work involved to make the ship sail and the whaling operation run. Many of these middle chapters examine minute parts of the whaling or sailing operation in great detail, conveying the massive amount of work intrinsic to whaling and the various knowledge needed by each seaman in order to be a successful whaler. It is a job requiring round-the-clock readiness, as each man is somewhat of an indentured servant to the whims of a whale. The sighting of the whale that Stubb eventually kills springs everyone into compulsive and complete response:

“As if struck by some enchanter’s wand, the sleepy ship and every sleeper in it all at once started into wakefulness; and more than a score of voices from all parts of the vessel, simultaneously with the three notes from aloft, shouted forth the accustomed cry” (255)

Once the whale is hauled in (a grueling process for which they must “toil hour after hour” (262)) the sailors have a few hours rest before the morning, when they will take apart the whale, but even their rest is interrupted by “anchor-watches,” which “shall be kept; that is, two and two for an hour, each couple, the crew in rotation shall mount the deck to see that all goes well” (271).

Even without considering the grueling, slave-like devotion that the sailors must show towards the whaling operation, regardless of any personal need or problem (witness the harpooneer, who must paddle hard with the company and then try to harpoon the whale, who have been driven to ‘”burst their blood-vessels in the boat” (260)), the sailor’s life on the ship is a constant need to work. The long chapter “The Town-Ho’s Story” examines the labor hierarchy and the consequences of an overworked company. Ishmael alludes many times to the workload on board and the captain and mates’ penchant to overwork their men, but for the time being, at least, the labor hierarchy is balanced enough to keep all the men content in their position (at least content enough not to mutiny). “The Town-Ho’s Story” finds the seamen under pressure from the constant work attending to the leaking ship. The mate Radney directly contradicts the labor hierarchy aboard the ship, demanding that Steelkilt sweep the deck, the “broom business” which is the “prescriptive province of the boys” (222). Labor is divided amongst the equal-ranking men according to ability:

“it was the stronger men in the Town-Ho that had been divided into gangs, taking turns at the pumps; and being the most athletic seaman of them all, Steelkilt had been regularly assigned captain of one of the gangs; consequently he should have been freed from any trivial business not connected with truly nautical duties” (222-3).

In a space that always demands work, work itself must be hierarchized; everything else is dropped once a whale is sighted, and after that ship duties, according to capability, involve keeping the ship afloat first and foremost, and then the other duties that involve general cleaning and maintenance. When Radney violates the hierarchy of labor on a ship, it becomes violent. The length of this chapter stresses the importance of preserving the hierarchy of work and the workers in order for the voyage to remain successful. Perhaps Ishmael is foreshadowing the problems the Pequod will face as their voyage grows longer and Ahab abandons convention in his maniacal pursuit.

While lacking a conventional plot structure, Moby Dick’s magnetism is Ishmael’s psychological process and his labor of storytelling, which reveal a complex and thoughtful protagonist. The most significant relationship formed during the initial 21 chapters (with apologies to Queequeg) is Ishmael’s new intrigue with whaling. As he has not been whaling yet, most of whaling’s ‘presence’ in the novel so far is the theoretical or the symbolic. What we do learn from Ishmael are the beliefs, ideas, and ideals that form the inner workings of his mind. Ishmael is satisfied in being ‘a working man,’ his self-effacing comments conveying an appreciation of hard labor and the desire to “abandon the glory and distinction of such offices to those who like them” (3). Ishmael lives simply, and his preferred lack of superfluous funds and possessions instills in him a way of directly correlating labor with the earnings it provides.

And though the 275th lay was what they call a rather long lay, yet it was better than nothing; and if we had a lucky voyage, might pretty nearly pay for the clothing I would wear out on it, not to speak of my three years’ beef and board, for which I would not have to pay one stiver.  (76).

He further ruminates on the way he understands money and the act of being paid, saying, “being paid, – what will compare with it? The urbane activity with which a man receives money is really marvelous, considering that we so earnestly believe money to be the root of all earthly ills” (4). Ishmael understands that hierarchy is a necessary institution, especially on a ship, where quick and singular decisions must be made be some experienced force in order to keep order. He asks rhetorically “Who ain’t a slave?” (4) but only in so much as to acknowledge the implicit order of things and to demonstrate that he understands the system, but is willing to work within it, and seems to derive pleasure out of it. His manner, confident but free of pretension, allows him to present himself to Captains Peleg and Bildad as a capable and willing worker. It is this sentiment about his own abilities that later makes him ‘horrified’ when he is presented with his ‘first kick’ by Captain Peleg for not working hard or fast enough as the Pequod disembarks from port. Ishmael respects Bildad’s reputation for being able to make men work hard without taking on the character of a screaming taskmaster, while simultaneously conveying that he too feels small in Bildad’s presence. Ishmael relates little of his past in the first chapters of his narrative, speaking instead simply in the moment; this is the way he also lives, moment to moment, deciding to go to sea when it suits him, confident in his own abilities. He is impressed by those, like Queequeg, who excel at their work and distrustful of those, like Elijah, who stray too far from normalcy and order. However, Elijah and the mysterious, so far unseen Captain Ahab are also sources of intrigue to him, representing those who have strayed or dropped out of the social order.    Ishmael’s self-status as a laborer works twofold- he equates hard work with monetary gain, recognizing the power of good, honest work. At the same time, his role as a simple seaman affords him the opportunity to witness what is going on around him, which gives him the information and structure for his other labor- the narrative.

What of it, if some old hunks of a sea-captain orders me to get a broom and sweep down the decks? …Do you think the archangel Gabriel thinks anything less of me, because I promptly and respectfully obey that old hunks in that particular instance? Who aint a slave? … Well, then, however the old sea-captains may order me about-however they may thump and punch me about, I have the satisfaction of knowing that it is all right; that everybody else is one way or other server in much the same way – either in a physical or metaphysical point of view.

Melville’s words have a meaningful message.  When deciding to become a sailor, one accepts that there will be a break down of their previously unconstrained and entitled life.  They will be at the mercy of their captain, who will abuse them to the greatest extent.  But a sailor knows he is not alone, his fellow shipmates will experience the same mental and physical cruelty.  Thus when Ishmael comments, “Who aint a slave?” (4) is he incorrect? Is a man not a slave to the work he is forced to complete? But is the horrors of slavery lessened when one knows that his fellow men are enslaved as well?  To answer these questions, I think we would need to discuss the definition and terms of slavery.  Understandably, Ishmael is not a slave in the sense that he chose this career for himself, but once he is on the boat with the captain, he cannot escape from him.  Thus is a sailor a slave to the captain or the boat? Or perhaps both?

No, when I go to sea, I go as a simple sailor, right before the mast, plumb down into the forecastle, aloft there to the royal mast-head.  True, they rather order me about some, and make me jump from spar to spar, like a grasshopper in a May meadow. And at first, this sort of thing is unpleasant enough.  It touches one’s sense of honor, particularly if you come of an old established family in the land, the Van Rensselaers, or Randolphs, or Hardicanutes.

Furthermore, is humility not something we should all learn and experience? To live under the control of another individual, does it not teach us who we are or want to be?  To clarify there is a difference between humility and slavery.  They are not one and the same.  But I believe Melville is attempting to articulate is that although a man’s “honor” is taken away when he becomes a sailor because he can no longer live behind his possibly good name; he can create his own respected name through working with his own hands.  Thus hard work teaches humility and respect for one’s superiors but also gives a man honor.  Labor is then not demeaning as some would believe because it gives a man the ability to accomplish something through their own physical force.  And unlike money, these accomplishments cannot be taken away; they belong to that man forever.

Much of this novel is about the work done on or for the ship in the whaling business, but work can be defined in many ways. There are also multiple hierarchies of workers on the ship. Posts for this group will focus on passages where issues of labor seem important or salient — does the passage/event equate labor with slavery? Is the narrator making a commentary about slavery in America? What aspects of labor does the narrator celebrate, and which does he denounce, and why?