Herman Melville’s epic novel, Moby Dick, provides commentary on the nature of mankind. The tapestry of humanity is a linking message throughout themes of brotherhood, diversity, and interdependence. This ‘counterpane’ is woven through the plot as a symbol of universal multiculturalism and friendships forged across the gap of diversity. The unification of man can be seen on a range of levels and magnitudes throughout the story. With the observations of Ishmael, an estranged man finding adventure on a doomed whaling vessel, man’s relationship to the universe is defined.
Melville creates a metaphor of life through the characterization of the sea. The chain of dependency rooting in the sea is paralleled by man’s reliance on one another. As all creatures depend on the grandiose, life-giving body of water in some way, so does man to other members of his environment. A peaceful coexistence, in either case, is based on the equilibrium of everyone’s needs. This can be translated to ships’ interactions during multiple gams throughout the novel. Each ship crossing the Pequod’s path revealed a new culture and new views on whaling.
As the Pequod relies on the information received via gams, man must rely on others to get ahead in life’s journey. The interactions of the crews reflect on mankind’s interdependency. The Pequod proves to be a microcosm of life through its self-contained structure of varying cultures. The boundaries normally present between men of different races essentially dissolve under the requirements to run the ship. Caucasian mates work side by side with native harpooners, all working under the same goal of whaling. The traditional roles of the lesser-ranked harpooners as squires to their corresponding knights are insignificant while all are battling for survival.
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The quilt of cultures becomes a single force against the elements they face. The reliance between the crewmembers shows the counterpane of humanity. The marriage of Queequeg and Ishmael illustrate ultimate brotherhood. Queequeg, a savage cannibal at first glance, is slowly revealed to the reader, filling numerous positions in the story. As a prince, a native, a Muslim, and a harpooner, his best asset proves to be his friendship. The most unlikely couple displays the full potential of a man to love and accept his peers.
Their interdependency shows the purest humanity possible. The reciprocity of favors is rooted in love and unconditional acceptance of each other. The friendship between the two adventure-seeking men is essentially what saves Ishmael from the fate suffered by the rest of the crew. The unlikely bond between the men proves the ability to have a successful relationship despite cultural obstacles. While investigating the counterpane of humanity, the contrasting effects of friendship and alienation are prevalent. Both extremes of the copious benefits of union and the devastating results of isolation are shown in many scenarios presented in Moby Dick.
Ishmael lies at the center of the most prominent examples of each. A restless outcast of society, Ishmael endeavors in a whaling voyage as a distraction from the monotony of life. It is here, on the Pequod, where he finds temporary brotherly union. When working on the Pequod, the crew is tightly united through efforts of labor and fruits of satisfaction. The incredible friendship is shown while the men are processing the blubber. “I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-workers’ hands…
at last, I was continually squeezing their hands, and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much as to say… ‘Come, let us squeeze hands all round; let us squeeze ourselves universally into the very milk and sperm of kindness.’ ” (P. 385) The joy of union of the crew is only comparable to the horror of seclusion. Pip is cast out of the crew’s favor due to his lack of whaling ability. He is left to his own devices in the middle of the ocean. “The sea had jeeringly kept his finite body up, but drowned the infinite of his soul.” (p.
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383) Pip is eventually rescued, but part of his being was forever lost at sea with his dignity. As shown through the interactions of the characters in the novel, brotherhood is the threads holding the loom of humanity together. Melville outlines the boundaries to navigate successfully through life in Moby Dick. The brotherly dependence illustrated by the crew of the Pequod is builds a scope of emotions unique to individuals, but common among the ranks of humanity. The basic performance of the ship was founded on the ideas of the interdependency, which the crew strived upon. Melville’s contrasting observations on humanity are woven throughout Ishmael’s journey, creating the beauty and darkness in the tapestry of life.
Moby Dick.
