Moby Dick

You won’t usually get a book report out of me because 1) I don’t read that fast, and 2) I don’t find reports to be all that interesting myself.  But when the book in question is Moby Dick, a certain amount of acknowledgement is in order.

I started the book on February 28th.  I finished it September 10th.  What’s that?  Six and a half months?  Sounds right.  6.5 months to read 650 pages.  I guess that’s not too bad…

For anyone who’s debating reading the book, consider this your warning.  Naturally, being written in 1851, it has that ye old language style that nigh use nowadays.  At first you’d swear it’s an entirely different language.

Now, I’m a person who is dedicated to the idea that you read EVERY, SINGLE, WORD.  The author wrote it that way, and to honor and respect him, I feel I should read it that way.  But that’s hard when the sentences go on, and on, and on, for half a page apiece. 

And he’s a point repeater; he says the thing over and over, but a different way each time - like he’ll beat around the bush to deliver a point, expounding with all sorts of prepositions, statements that sound like unripe tangents, which in turn all have their own pile of baggage, just to say what he’s getting at.  And then he keeps going.  It doesn’t stop.  Its like he has to explain it from so many different angles so that you fully and entirely get the point.  I understood just fine the first time, but no, he has to…
Great, now I’m doing it!  Thanks a lot Melville :-(

Don’t get me wrong - it is an exceptional book, and I am proud of myself for having read it.  It does exactly what it intends to do.  It is a novel, but it also a documentary on the art of whaling in the 1800s.  The chapters on whaling are extremely informative, and fascinating; but at the same time underwhelming.  They take a lot away from the action. 

The story itself is compelling.  It never occurred to me that you would discover a humane and sympathetic side to Ahab. Of course we all know that Captain Ahab self-destructive mission for revenge is going to lead to his ultimate demise, but going into the novel, I didn’t know how that was going to play out exactly?  What happens to him?  I assumed he died.  And what about the whale?  Do they kill each other?  Does Moby Dick get away?  Even into the last ten pages, I didn’t know.

And let me tell you, those last ten page are intense, and raw even for our time.