Ahab's acknowlegement of Ishmael

[Hardeman]

I do not recall that Ahab in any way ever acknowledged Ishmael. Can anyone recall any interaction between them? Yet we all know many instances where Ishmael tells us intimate details of Ahab’s behavior that no one could have witnessed (in his cabin for example). Indeed Ishmael tells us, "A wild, mystical, sympathetical feeling was in me; Ahab's quenchless feud seemed mine."

Thanks for your consideration of this question

Hardeman

[fin john]

Hardeman,

     Why would a sea captain acknowledge a harpooner? If the rare event happened, the sea captain would hardly know the harpooner's name. Pip seems to be the only one that Ahab acknowledges, outside his mates. Correction--he does mention the Manxman but not by name.

    Yes, Ishmael must have been that fly on the wall in Ahab's cabin. That was an early form of bugging.

 

John Gretchko

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[Phil Walsh]

In the scene below, from Chapter 135, it could be argued that the other speaker in the exchange is Ishmael (all other members of Ahab's boat being the 'tiger-yellow barbarians') :

And still as Ahab glided over the waves the unpitying sharks accompanied him; and so pertinaciously stuck to the boat; and so continually bit at the plying oars, that the blades became jagged and crunched, and left small splinters in the sea, at almost every dip.

"Heed them not! those teeth but give new rowlocks to your oars. Pull on! 'tis the better rest, the shark's jaw than the yielding water."

"But at every bite, Sir, the thin blades grow smaller and smaller!"

"They will last long enough! pull on!�But who can tell"�he muttered�"whether these sharks swim to feast on the whale or on Ahab?�But pull on! Aye, all alive, now�we near him. The helm! take the helm; let me pass,"�and so saying, two of the oarsmen helped him forward to the bows of the still flying boat.

On 08/22/2012 08:47 AM, fin john wrote:

Hardeman,

���� Why would a sea captain acknowledge a harpooner? If the rare event happened, the sea captain would hardly know the harpooner's name. Pip seems to be the only one that Ahab acknowledges, outside his mates. Correction--he does mention the Manxman but not by name.

��� Yes, Ishmael must have been that fly on the wall in Ahab's cabin. That was an early form of bugging.

�

John Gretchko

On Sun, Aug 19, 2012 at 5:41 PM, Hardeman <lhp...@gmail.com> wrote:

I do not recall that Ahab in any way ever acknowledged Ishmael. Can anyone recall any interaction between them? Yet we all know many instances where Ishmael tells us intimate details of Ahab�s behavior that no one could have witnessed (in his cabin for example). Indeed Ishmael tells us, "A wild, mystical, sympathetical feeling was in me; Ahab's quenchless feud seemed mine."

Thanks for your consideration of this question

Hardeman

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[Hardeman]

John and Phil,
Thanks for your rejoinder.
Phil your insight  seems right on. What a subdued Ishmael  in the whale boat after all his posturing and philosophizing.  This suggests to me quite a gap between Ishmael the sailor and the narrator.

John are you putting me on as I do not understand your reply. I know you know Ishmael was not a harpooner. 
But then you limit Ahab’s dialogs to the mates and Pip. In the past you have often referred to chapter 36 The Quarter-Deck where Ahab directly confronts the harpooners by name when he has them drink the scarement from their harpoon iron sockets.  So why now do propose “If the rare event happened, the sea captain would hardly know the harpooner's name.”
 "Moby Dick?" shouted Ahab. "Do ye know the white whale then, Tash?"  MD Chapter 36

There are other examples where Ahab knows his crew men and interacts with them but until Phil’s observation I never saw him interacting with Ishmael the sailor.  This distinction. given Ishmael’s insights into Ahab, is one of the significant and unique aspects of the book.
Forgive me if I missed the humor and the jokes on me.
Hardeman

[fin john]

Hardeman and Phil,

 

      Sorry about the late reply. I have not been myself lately. Whoever I could be I haven't figured out. I have had the blasted sniffles all month. I go from air conditioning to fans to open windows to sweat from humidity. Yes, I just did not give this thought. Sure chapter 36 came into mind, but I was too lazy to go look at it. Thank you for getting me back on track, or is that chapter 37 or 38?

 

      Did a sea captain ever lower a boat and join in the hunt for whales? Did a captain ever trust his ship to a deckhand?

 

John "snapping-out-of-it" Gretchko

 

   

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