Call me Ishmael. Years ago, finding myself poor and aimless on land, I decided to sail and view the watery world. This is my method for curing melancholy and regulating my blood. Whenever my mouth grows grim, or my soul feels like a damp, drizzly November, I know it is time to leave. The urge becomes undeniable when I pause before coffin before warehouses, trail behind funerals, or feel a manic impulse to knock hats off in the street. Going to sea is my alternative to suicide. While Cato died on his sword with a flourish, I quietly board a ship. This impulse is not unique; almost all men feel a magnetic pull toward the ocean.
While securing the carcass, the crew discovered marvels: a corroded harpoon and a stone lance-head embedded in the flesh, ancient weapons suggesting the whale’s incredible age. But further examination was cut short when the body began to sink. The Pequod listed dangerously as the fluke-chains held fast, the deck slanting like a steep roof, the ship groaning under the strain. Handspikes and crows could not pry the chains free. Queequeg seized a hatchet, leaned from a porthole, and slashed at the fastenings. With a terrific snap, the chains parted, the ship righted, and the carcass sank.
From the mast-heads came word that the Jungfrau was lowering boats again, chasing a Fin-Back whose spout resembled a Sperm Whale’s but whose incredible speed made capture impossible. The Virgin crowded all sail in pursuit of her four keels, disappearing to leeward in bold, hopeless chase—a fitting emblem for Derick’s enterprise.
Ishmael seeks to elevate the whaling profession by tracing its lineage to mythological and religious heroes, asserting that a deeper dive into the craft reveals its immense antiquity and honor. He identifies Perseus as the first whaleman, citing the knightly rescue of Andromeda from a sea monster, evidenced by the ancient skeleton displayed in Joppa. Arguing that St. George’s dragon was actually a whale, Ishmael notes that biblical texts often conflate the two creatures, and claims that fighting a land reptile would offer less glory. He declares the whale to be the true guardian of England, suggesting that Nantucket whalemen are more entitled to the Order of St. George than the knights themselves.
Ishmael further claims Hercules as an involuntary member of the fraternity due to his being swallowed by a whale, and draws a parallel to the prophet Jonah. He reaches the apex of his argument with the Hindu legend of Vishnoo, recounting how the god incarnated as a whale to dive to the ocean floor and retrieve the sacred Vedas needed to recreate the world. Presenting a triumphant member-roll of Perseus, St. George, Hercules, Jonah, and Vishnoo, Ishmael boasts that no other club can boast such a roster of grand masters.
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