Though Cetology begins
like the boring pages from a zoology book, the reader quickly sees that the
narrator is not going for a solid piece of scientific work. Cetology, though a
return to the first person, is not written in the voice of Ishmael. The
narrator in Cetology explains that there isn’t “real knowledge” when it comes
to whales, in fact only one of the writers he mentions, Captain Scoresby, ever
was a whaler. Very few of those who wrote about them ever were in contact with
whales. The narrator struggles with many issues regarding the whale such as its
classification as fish or mammal (which he turns to Biblical means to solve his
confusion on the matter). However the one thing the narrator is very avid about
is that despite classifications the sperm whale is clearly superior to any
other whale. What’s most confusing about Cetology to me is the narrator’s use
of definition.
“Next: how shall we
define the whale, by his obvious externals, so as conspicuously to label him
for all time to come? To be short, then, a whale is a spouting fish with a horizontal tail. There you have him. However
contracted, that definition is the result of expanded meditation.”(148).
Despite giving a clean
cut definition for whales the narrator goes on to clarify,
“By the above
definition of what a whale is, I do by no means exclude from the levianthanic
brotherhood any sea creature hitherto identified with the whale by the best
informed Nantucketers; nor, on the other hand, link it with any fish hitherto
authoritatively regarded as alien.”(148).
Then, after making this
allowance to permit what other more informed men call whales, in the side note,
the narrator includes,
“I am aware that
down to the present time, the fish styled Lamantins and Dugongs (Pig-fish and
Sow-fish of the Coffins of Nantucket) are included by many naturalists among
the whales. But as these pig-fish are nosey, contemptible set… I deny their
credentials as whales.”(148).
Because of all this
tom-foolery I believe that Cetology is in whole meant to present the reader
with questionable, humorous material in order to show give even more mystique to
the creature. The real point is that the narrator holds the sperm whale above
all, and that very little is known about their biology in this time. Cetology
provides the reader with a mystified slightly mocking version of the whale in
general when proceeding further into the novel.
The reader then reaches a long chapter entitled The Whiteness of the Whale which is
equal in its double-sidedness to Cetology. The chapter begins by comparing the
connotation of splendor that follows whiteness, and then compares it to the
whale’s repellence due to its color.
“Nor can it be
questioned from what stands on legendary record of this novel horse, that it
was his spiritual whiteness chiefly, which so clothed him with divineness; and
that this divineness had that in which, though commanding worship, at the same
time enforced a certain nameless terror.”(207).
There are also the
comparisons of the views of a white man’s skin. “Though in many natural
objects, whiteness refiningly enhances beauty, as if imparting some special
virtue of its own…”(204) juxtaposed with
“The Albino is as well made as other men – has no substantive deformity – and yet
this mere aspect of all-pervading whiteness makes him more strangely hideous
than the ugliest abortion.”(208). Because of the previous examples of
juxtaposition in Cetology it seems that we should also view this as a mockery.
I feel that Herman Melville is looking at the idea of beauty due to color, or
power because of color as something to be ridiculed. The real reason behind the
terror is the majesty and elusiveness of this enormous creature. The color
perplexes the author, because he feels it should make it more beautiful yet it
is horrible. This is more a critique of color fixations because of the previous
mockeries in Cetology.
Katelyn-
ReplyDeleteI think you are absolutely correct in acknowledging that Melville isn’t *actually* trying to do taxonomical work – that is, he doesn’t consider this to be an actual contribution to science. I also agree that this section is meant to be less-than-revealing about the whale, perhaps purposefully muddling (something that I myself wrote on).
Apart from that, I’m having difficulty grasping what you are claiming. I believe you mean to say that Cetology is meant to mystify the whale even further in the eyes of the reader. Well what does it mean that such a dry, plain rendering of the whale is unable to capture him? Also, I think if you mean to show that the narrator believes the sperm whale to be the superior whale, there are connections to Lewontin’s text that can be made here, regarding economic bias within scientific studies.
Lastly, I am not sure what parallels you are trying to draw between Cetology and “The Whiteness of the Whale.” What are the previous ‘juxtapositions’ that you are referring to? This could probably use another paragraph to fully tie these two seemingly separate ideas together.
Dean's observations are all good, and important. I, too, am somewhat unclear about what you're trying to prove - although I think the parallels you draw are fine, but more importantly, I think you are grasping at an issue of fundamental importance here.
ReplyDeleteIt's a *joke*. It's not just a joke, by any means - and jokes can be deadly serious, of course. Humorous thought can still be thought, etc. Still, there's a lot of willful absurdity here. If you're going to work with the humor, though, you want to do it more thoroughly - ask in greater depth, at greater length, with more use of the (humorous) material to demonstrate - rather than speculate - what the humor is aiming it.
Much of the material at the beginning doesn't serve much of a purpose. By the end, you're finding a purpose - it just would have worked better if you'd been doing that from the start.