Why Read Moby-Dick?

This is an outstanding book as it brings together the history prior to the Civil War and two essentially evil enterprises slavery and whaling.It is a eye-opener to the realism that Melville brought to literature at a time when the country was imbued with romanticism. And it was not ready for the realism of Moby Dick.Melville head going to see himself and actually jump ship in the south sea is as he could not stand the carnage of whaling anymore than he could stand the evils of slavery. While the story involves the obsession of Ahab, it really speaks to the obsession of an evil enterprise. Eventually evil wins out and sweeps away the crew.America was due for a cleansing And it got one in spades.Philbrick is a mariner and a water baby. Of course he loves Moby Dick and we should too.

Two things got my attention about the book, "Why Read Moby Dick?" The first is the author's contention that Herman Melville's great novel is the "American Bible." The second is that Nathaniel Philbrick is a good writer. These two things made the book irresistible.Is Moby Dick the American Bible? Philbrick maintains, "Contained in the pages of Moby Dick is nothing less than the genetic code of America: all the promises, problems, conflicts, and ideals that contributed to the outbreak of a revolution in 1775 as well as a civil war in 1861 and continue to drive this country's ever contentious march into the future." Wow! So Philbrick is telling us that somehow Melville has delivered a work that contains the DNA of our country. Can we assume that means that in every new crisis or significant moment in our nation's history we can turn to this masterpiece, and masterpiece it is, to understand ourselves?Alas, we will never know. Sadly, Philbrick never develops his grandiose thesis. He gives hints. The loudest hint is that the novel is an adumbration and guide to the bloody consequences and subsequent scar of slavery on the United States (Moby Dick was published in 1851). Again, we can wish it was, but Philbrick fails to develop the case, much less make the case. Philbrick reminds us that at the time of the publication of Moby Dick, "America was on the verge of a cataclysm." At the heart of the tension was slavery. But you will search in vain throughout Philbrick's book for a convincing development of this thesis.What you will find throughout the book is a retelling of the story. When the order arrived in the mail, I was surprised at how tiny the book was. It is a mere 127 pages. The binding is attractive, however, and puts one in mind of an old primer or perhaps a short book of the village's preacher's sermons or maybe the intention is have the look of a collection of love sonnets. The cover uses black and shiny red and white for, you guessed it, a sperm whale's tail up in the air as it dives under the waves and for the name of the novel, Moby Dick. Most of the pages are devoted not to telling why this book is such a mirror of America, but to retelling the plot, with occasional ruminations on the metaphor and analogy in different parts of the book. These can be quite a stretch, such as comparing "Ishmael's `insular Tahiti'" to "...a 1960s style fallout shelter; both are hideouts from `the horrors of half known life' radioactive or wet." Or that Captain Ahab's ship, the Pequod, is the "mythic incarnation of America," and in the chapter about the masthead, that the isolation there as one surveyed the waters for signs of whales were like the isolation of "New England gentleman who had once viewed the south from the safety of their own mastheads," and were now, like the whalers, "being drawn into slavery's pernicious vortex." Now why didn't I ever see that in reading the book?My biggest disappointment with "Why Read Moby Dick" is how little Philbrick had to say about Melville's talk about religion, Christianity and use of the Bible. Melville's use of the Bible is prodigious. Philbrick skims over the surface of it. No one can deny the power and faith behind the story of Ishmael's visit to the Whaling Church in New Bedford. The pulpit is the prow of a ship, and into climbs the old preacher like weather beaten old ship's captain. Then Melville tells us "What could be more full of meaning? - for the pulpit is ever the world's foremost part, all the rest comes in the rear and the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God's quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favorable winds, Yes, the world's a ship on its passage out and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow." These are words worthy of inscription on the wall of any pastor's study (I am a protestant minister). Then Father Mapple launches into a sermon about, what else, Jonah. The sermon, penned of course by Melville, shows a remarkable understanding of the scriptures, demonstrated elsewhere in the book as well. Philbrick makes only cursory acknowledgement of Melville's use of the Bible for illustration and his fascinating ruminations about Christianity and world religions. Even in Philbrick's chapter, "Is There a Heaven?" he moves away from the book and answers that Melville yearns for a paradise of fame or friendship or freedom from his longing for a father who died when he was young. There is precious little about the book's grappling with matters of faith.So skip the book? Not so fast!Nathaniel Philbrick is a good writer. His books on the Mayflower and the wreck of the whale ship Essex (the Essex was stove in by a whale earlier in the nineteenth century and was thought to have inspired Melville to compose Moby Dick) are historical books that are "page turners" as well. Noteworthy about "Why Read Moby Dick?" are two things, Philbrick's lacing the work with biographical elements about Melville, which he integrates nicely. Thing two is how Philbrick narrates the Melville's friendship and relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne. What makes the book worth the bother, however, is Philbrick's love of Melville's masterpiece. He is right that Melville's grand work is the apex of the American novel. It is brilliant. And anyone who loves it will like Philbrick's little book. It is a paean to Melville and mysterious whale.When all is said and done, Philbrick is not to be criticized for not pinning down his thesis. Part of what makes Melville's novel great is the grandeur and sweep and elusiveness of its meaning. It haunts you. There is something in this strange book (Moby Dick) that is all too true. Just when you think you have it pinned down, it shifts from under your grasp and tantalizes you with still some other insight. Who is Moby Dick? What does the white whale signify? (Philbrick says the white whale symbolizes nothing - he writes, "...I need to make something perfectly clear. The White Whale is not a symbol." ) Hm. What is Ahab's obsession about? What is Ishmael all about in relation to the biblical Ishmael? Philbrick does not answer these questions, but if he could, his book might be titled, "Don't Bother Reading Moby Dick."

One of the reasons to reread books is to put your own experiences into it. Moby Dick is not the easiest book to read, ever, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading it at the hands of a master : Philbrick. Yes, it is a much condensed version, with his personal explanations. But there is so much that then translates directly to today. Today: not Arab, not Hitler, but Trump. The whale vs the buffalo. The sea in the age of climate change. And Man, Human, not the top of the food chain. This book also has a lot of Melville in it and a wonderful link with Hawthorne (dedication). I would like to find the letters exchanged between the two. Philbrick always has excellent research but this is a more personal book for him. Some wonderful quotes to remember too.

Philbrick's enthusiasm for Moby-Dick is infectious. I had finished my first unabridged read-through just before reading this volume. I enjoyed Moby-Dick (though some chapters are tedious), but once I finished through Philbrick's book, I did something I didn't expect and started reading Moby-Dick again. Philbrick is a really great author, and it makes sense that he would be a fan of Moby-Dick from his book on the inspiration for it (In the Heart of the Sea--recommended reading for any M-D fans).His essays are not earth shattering revelations, but they will imbue you with a desire to dig deeper, reread, check out some commentaries, and enjoy the work a little more than viewing it as a chore.While the list price is somewhat ridiculous for a collection of essays, the prices you can get for it used/discounted here help a great deal. Don't get me wrong, it's a great series of essays (though nothing truly shocking), but I wouldn't spend 30 dollars for the hardback. I won't review on the price--the content is quite good.

This is a fine little volume that is great for a quick read that stimulates a great deal of thought. For many, Hermann Melville's Moby Dick is a challenging book. It is one of those books that many people believe they are supposed to read, but often do not get around to the task. There is no author more appropriate than Nathaniel Philbrick to tackle the subject of why Melville's greatest work remains relevant. In this short volume, Philbrick builds a strong case for Moby Dick being the one and only true Great American Novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others who want to act on the long repressed thought of moving forward to read Melville's volume.