Moby Dick Monday | Book Chatter

Welcome to Moby Dick Monday! This is where we read four pages a day and then post about what we’ve read. Consider it an adventure of sorts!

My Story Re-Cap:

This week’s reading took me through Chapter 52. Ahab is beginning to wonder how he’ll keep the crew motivated through such a long voyage. He realizes, that without a reward of some kind, the crew could turn on him and decide not to obey his commands at all. This thought disturbs him, but he tucks it away to think about later.

While Ishmael and Queequeg spend a lazy afternoon working on maps, Tashtego calls from above with a “There she blows!” The crew snaps to attention, only to be startled by the appearance of five strangers. These strangers, or “phantoms” as Ishmael takes to calling them, is headed up by someone named Fedallah. The crew, including these five strangers, lowers the boats and sets out after Moby Dick. However, their chase proves fruitless and they return to the ship.

A second sighting a few days later has them all in the water again, but this time, Ishmael’s boat capsizes and he fights the sea to get back on board. After a struggle, Ishmael returns to the ship and asks the others if being thrown into the ocean like this and nearly losing your life is something that he should expect regularly. After getting confirmation of this, he decides that the additional strangers, probably couldn’t hurt as there is power in numbers.

My Rambling Thoughts:

At 256 pages in, Ahab is still a mystery, but I’m learning more about him as each week passes. He is a brooding type. I suspect, highly intelligent too but that has not been told to us in so many words. He quietly observes the deck, his crew and the ocean surrounding them. His quest to find Moby Dick is of course personal, but I am guessing there’s even more to that story than we’ve been told thus far. I’m enjoying Ishmael’s slow realization of what he’s gotten himself into.

I’m glad that these chapters are short. If they were longer, I think the story would be lost in the words. Melville takes such care to describe things a certain way, but the sentences are a bit choppy. This is one of those books where I need complete silence in order to read it. The background noise of the TV or kids forces me to re-read chapters at a time. It really requires quite a bit of focus. However, I am almost at the halfway mark and that’s quite an accomplishment! I’ve never been able to get this far before. I believe I’m going to make it through this.

Reading Along With Me:

Jill/Softdrink of Fizzy Thoughts
Jill of RhapsodyinBooks
Dar of Peeking Between the Pages
Eva of A Striped Armchair
Wisteria from Bookworm’s Dinner
Gavin from Page247
Claire from kiss a cloud
Sandra from Fresh Ink Books

For those that are participating, share your post links in comments. What do you think so far? Oh, and if anyone wants to join us just leave me a message below.

Welcome to Moby Dick Monday! This is where we read four pages a day and then post about what we’ve read. Consider it an adventure of sorts!

My Story Re-Cap:

This week’s reading takes us through the various descriptions of Moby Dick as described by Ishmael.

For, it was not so much his uncommon bulk that so much distinguished him from other sperm whales, but, as was elsewhere thrown out— a peculiar snow-white wrinkled forehead, and a high, pyramidical white hump. These are his prominent features; the tokens whereby, even in the limitless, uncharted seas, he revealed his identity, at a long distance to those that knew him.

The rest of his body was so streaked, and spotted, and marbled, with the same shrouded hue, that, in the end, he had gained his distinctive appellation of the White Whale; a name indeed, literally justified by his vivid aspect, when seen gliding at high noon through a dark blue sea, leaving a milky-wake of creamy foam all spangled with golden gleamings.

What I just shared with you pretty much says it all yet Melville takes an additional 29 pages to drive the point home. Yes, Moby is known as the White Whale and at times he is seen with an ethereal glow. I get it!

My Rambling Thoughts:

As I was going through this week’s reading, all I could think of is that scene from Back to School where Sam Kinison is screaming at Rodney Dangerfield, “Say it! Just say it!” A lot of what Melville includes is quite lovely but thirty pages of the same thing, said in twenty different ways. UGH!

Here’s the video clip to give you an idea of what I was feeling while reading this week. The part that I mentioned is right around 2:18.

Reading Along With Me:

For those that are participating, share your post links in comments. What do you think so far? Oh, and if anyone wants to join us just leave me a message below.

Chatting with friends about books and life…