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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
The part of me that was a childhood fan of Jeff Smith’s Bone is immaturely giggling at me reading this (for those that don’t know, there is a running gag in Bone that Moby Dick is such a boring book that hearing it read out loud has the magical ability to put anyone that hears it to sleep). Anyways I’m pleased to learn that Bone was wrong and this is for me yet another example of a classic literature book living up to the hype. I just love the way the narration is so conversational yet also so dramatic and embellished. Ishmael sat me down to tell me about his whale conspiracy theories and I was hooked the whole time. A book that deserves every bit of its praise
Uf. Tohle byla výzva. 600 stran o velrybách je na mě trochu moc a tohle prostě ne. Anatomii velryb jsem znát nechtěla a o tom bylo dobrých 500 stran. Sem tam by mi nějaká vsuvka nevadila, ale když to tvořilo většinu knihy. Nezajímavé, nudné. Posledních 150 stran už za něco stálo a užila jsem si je, proto 2 a ne 1 hvězdička.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
tense
medium-paced
Unbelievable read. I understand the whale facts sections can be a little difficult to power through at times, but it's entirely worth it.
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“A noble craft, but somehow a most melancholy! All noble things are touched with that.”
Obviously, everything that can be said about this book has been said about this book, but one thing that stood out to me more than the rest is how the names relate to their character. Ishmael has come to mean “God will hear” and become a name for the outsiders for no matter how far they run, god will hear. This relates to the character Ishmael by…. Then there is Ahab, who is misconstrued as the main character of the novel, despite not truly being so. Ahab is the name of a king, an evil king from biblical times said to have done more evil than any other man and was characterized off of vengeance and sin. Ahab in the book represents man’s moral reprehension and ability to become obsessed with his sins. A less important but still relevant character Elijah, who’s biblical connotation was to save people from Ahab’s sins, does effectively that in this novel warning off Ishmael from “selling his soul” to work with Ahab.
“For there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself.”
As for the novel itself, I love Melville’s formalism and the use of his characters but they aren’t great characters save Ahab and Ishmael. This novel has always received some hate for the characters just being stand-in’s for humanity not real characters, and was exactly my experience. Not characters but simply pawns for a story. Some of the sections that are just love letters to whaling make this a very unique and sometimes difficult book to read. Ultimately, Melville uses this novel for a multitude of reason including using it as a love letter to whaling, making a biblical level analysis of man, and to make a contained analysis of the individual. Any novel that uses religion and religious themes to analyze man contrasted by the Bible is something that I want to read. Moby Dick is almost biblical in its own right and hard to deny its brilliance, yet on that same point its hard to say that I liked it. First 100-200 pages and the last 100 pages were impeccable, the middle was not so much.
“Yea, foolish mortals, Noah's flood is not yet subsided; two thirds of the fair world it yet covers.”
Obviously, everything that can be said about this book has been said about this book, but one thing that stood out to me more than the rest is how the names relate to their character. Ishmael has come to mean “God will hear” and become a name for the outsiders for no matter how far they run, god will hear. This relates to the character Ishmael by…. Then there is Ahab, who is misconstrued as the main character of the novel, despite not truly being so. Ahab is the name of a king, an evil king from biblical times said to have done more evil than any other man and was characterized off of vengeance and sin. Ahab in the book represents man’s moral reprehension and ability to become obsessed with his sins. A less important but still relevant character Elijah, who’s biblical connotation was to save people from Ahab’s sins, does effectively that in this novel warning off Ishmael from “selling his soul” to work with Ahab.
“For there is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast. Nothing exists in itself.”
As for the novel itself, I love Melville’s formalism and the use of his characters but they aren’t great characters save Ahab and Ishmael. This novel has always received some hate for the characters just being stand-in’s for humanity not real characters, and was exactly my experience. Not characters but simply pawns for a story. Some of the sections that are just love letters to whaling make this a very unique and sometimes difficult book to read. Ultimately, Melville uses this novel for a multitude of reason including using it as a love letter to whaling, making a biblical level analysis of man, and to make a contained analysis of the individual. Any novel that uses religion and religious themes to analyze man contrasted by the Bible is something that I want to read. Moby Dick is almost biblical in its own right and hard to deny its brilliance, yet on that same point its hard to say that I liked it. First 100-200 pages and the last 100 pages were impeccable, the middle was not so much.
“Yea, foolish mortals, Noah's flood is not yet subsided; two thirds of the fair world it yet covers.”