ASEBL Journal Volume 13 Issue 1 January 2018 | Page 49

ASEBL Journal – Volume 13 Issue 1 , January 2018
tized men to the wonders of the whale . We don ’ t see this in Ishmael . That is why the shift in his tone after Ahab ’ s revelation of vengeance against the White Whale is so disturbing to us . Sure , Ishmael lists how whales are useful as food , oil , and tools . He also pines on about whales in pictures and sculptures and ancient mythologies . Readers sense that there is an open-minded , ethical and independent mind at work in him . We ’ re drawn in by the curious , speculative natural philosopher in this not-so-common whaler . What Nolan is able to connect is the terrifying nature of the savagery that can be seen both in Melville and Mowat . Even the most thoughtful or good-natured of us may descend into cruelty , ignorance , and savagery .
Mowat writes of an actual mob killing of a whale trapped in the Newfoundland bay of Burgeo : “ what sickens me is their simple failure to resist the impulse of savagery ... How can they be so bloody stupid ? How could I have been so blood stupid ?” ( 148 ). That ’ s the very question which strikes the careful reader of Moby-Dick . How could the reader be lulled into Ishmael ’ s dreamy musings of the whale only to be thrust into the realization that Ishmael accepts Ahab ’ s mindless blood vengeance ? Ishmael says , “ Ahab ’ s quenchless feud seemed mine ” ( Melville 219 ). I don ’ t think it ’ s accidental that Moby-Dick ’ s revival and rediscovery came during a period of totalitarian fear . American and German scholars noted the prescient foreshadowing of Melville ’ s 1851 Ahab in the rhetoric of ruthless leaders of the 20 th century . What happens when even the ethical are consumed by the power of mob or the will of a dictator ?
Mowat witnessed blood sport in common people . A group descended on a trapped mammal and killed her for sport . Passive spectators turn into primal beasts . This isn ’ t far from Melville ’ s fear in 1851 . What happens when a thoughtful , intelligent narrator , taken with the incredible splendor and energy in the natural beauty of the whale , gives up his wonder and agency to follow the monomaniacal commands of a mad , villainous dictator out for vengeance on a dumb brute ? Melville knew this was always in the heart of humankind . He understood that humans aren ’ t logical , nor do they always follow the better angels of their minds and hearts , nor do they often understand the consequences of their behaviors on others . That ’ s why this work sticks with us ; it reminds us that humans can be cruel and unthinking creatures sometimes . They can bend to the irrational will of others . This is a fact we forget at our own peril , for in stories ( fiction or not ) we are reminded of the cruel primitive demons of our darker selves . Nolan ’ s essay leads us through these worlds back to the world of conservation , protection , and scientific exploration and knowledge . However , the most startling connection is to see the consistent presence of mob violence and cruelty , even when we least expect it from a wandering , philosophical , natural historian narrator or a group of “ simple ” people living close to the land they profess to love and respect . Melville and Mowat remind us to question the saintliness of our watching , peaceful selves and to be wary of the primitive killers lurking under our collective human heart of darkness .
Works cited
Melville , Herman . Moby Dick . 1851 . NY : Random House .
49