Moby Dick Podcast

Ishmael and Queequeg spend the night. Ishmael watches the morning ablutions of Queequeg.

We finally enter into the Spouter Inn. The first thing that Ishmael describes is a painting on the wall. The care with which he describes it, you'd think he had weeks to ponder. It is of a ship in a storm and a whale about to jump out of the water and impale itself on the ships three dismantled masts ostensibly to complete the wreck of the ship.

In Acts 27 when Paul appeals to Caesar in speaking with Festus, the procurator of Judea, he has to go to Rome to stand trial. In his journey from Judea to Rome, from Lycia, the ship encounters this Northeastern wind called Euroclydon in Greek (literally an eastern wave), Euro-aquilo in Latin (northeastern wind). Melville is going to use it seems, every biblical reference to sailing or ships.

What is clear is that this is one of the first references of many to religion in Moby Dick and it is specifically a reference false believers and hell reserved for them. Interesting that they are called wild waves of the sea, could we Captain Ahab in this so early on?

And an advantage to going to sea as a sailor he is paid. "And there's all the difference in the world between paying and being paid. The act of paying is perhaps the most uncomfortable infliction that the two orchard thieves entailed upon us."

This is one of those novels that with a memorable first line, "Call me Ishmael."

It seems that so many people had to read Moby Dick in high school and never finished the book. Or perhaps they finished it and hated every minute of reading it.

This is an introduction to the Moby Dick podcast and Herman Melville.