Moby Ch 10: "broken his digester"

[MegDC]

Hi--

I am doing a project on Moby-Dick, and I wonder whether anyone can
give me any insight into this reference, from Chapter 10, "A Bosom
Friend":

"So soon as I hear that such or such a man gives himself out for a
philosopher, I conclude that, like the dyspeptic old woman, he must
have 'broken his digester.'"

I have looked in several annotations and Melville references, and
haven't found an explanation of what this refers to. Does anyone know
if there was some story or real person at the time who "broke her
digester"? Can anyone explain what a "broken digester" would have to
do with someone representing himself as a philosopher?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

-- Meg

[gordon poole]

Dear Meg:
        I think 'digester' is just Melville's joking invention of a colloquial way of referring to one's digestive system. I have no knowledge of a story behind this. I would suppose that the text at this point calls upon the interpretative reader to connect bad philosophizing with bad digestion. This may be unexplored or under-explored ground. Go for it.
        Yours,
                Gordon Poole

[Scott Norsworthy]

Dear Meg and all,

The quotation marks around "broken his digester" suggest that Melville
had in mind a specific anecdote or image--what, I don't know. But the
digester is a machine, a kind of pressure cooker invented in the late
17th century by Denis Papin. The basic metaphor is the stomach or
digestive system as machine, pressure cooker.

By extension, the digester could represent the body, the animal nature
of human beings. The self-described Philosopher has "broken his
digester" by being over-intellectual (and proud of it), by focusing
overmuch on the mind and neglecting or forgetting the body and its
needs. Perhaps like some of the NYC "Apostles" as Melville describes
them in Pierre.

Thomas Carlyle made frequent use of the "Patent Digester" image when
arguing the other way, AGAINST the idea of human beings as mere
machines. Thus Samuel Johnson was “nowise a Clothes-horse and Patent
Digester, but a genuine Man.” In Sartor Resartus 3.1 (Incident in
Modern History), Teufelsdröckh opposes the utilitarian, mechanistic
view of the human condition, as “if Man were but a Patent Digester,
and the Belly with its adjuncts the grand Reality.”

The snippet at Google Book Search implies some discussion or mention
of this in Bruce Leonard Greenberg's PhD Dissertation (U of North
Carolina, 1964), "Thomas Carlyle and Herman Melville" Parallels,
Obliques, and Perpendiculars." (I have not read it, but what a great
title!)

Cheers,
Scott

[Stephen Hoy]

Thanks to Meg for the question, and to Scott for an enlightening
answer.

There's an old quip--how old, I don't know--that goes like this: A
person's philisophy (their view of life) depends upon the digestion.

Philosophy is used in the sense that Shakespeare uses it in Hamlet,
"dreamt of in your philosophy" so the expression may have very deep
roots. The quip is closely associated with an anecdote about someone
who was sublime in expression before dinner, and spouted nonsense
after dinner. The 'joke' was so widely known that only the punchline
was needed to generate a laugh. Kind of like when we talk about a
sugar rush, we readily visualize the effect on tweenies before and
after a few fruit roll-ups.

Melville applies this common wisdom in a couple of other places,
notably in the sketches of Ginger-nut and Nippers in Bartleby. Also in
the Confidence Man somewhere, if I recall correctly.

But what is being digested in this chapter? Note the immediate
previous paragraph, which ends with the famous line about George
Washington cannibalistically developed. What sort of philosophy might
a person have while digesting another human?

[Scott Norsworthy]

Yes, thinking now of the proverbial link between philosophy and
digestion reminds me of Scrooge's idea that "a bit of undigested beef"
can make you see wild things, ghosts and spirits. Many angles and
complexities to consider here, as usual with Melville. About the
context of the broken digester, the main thing to me is Ishmael's view
of Queequeg as a True Philosopher, a modern Socrates. Ishmael is
favorably comparing his new buddy to some big names in Melville's
pantheon of heroes: George Washington, Socrates...might as well add
Admiral Nelson. To be a real Philosopher is the thing, a good thing.
The True Philosopher is heroic in his self-assurance and self-
possession, but wonderfully un-self-conscious. The False Philosopher
proclaims himself Philosopher, self-consciously and pretentiously.
Ironies abound, since (goodness!) Ishmael himself does like to
philosophize.

Cheers,
Scott

[Ackin]

IMHO, the context of this sentence is important.

"Here was a man some twenty thousand miles from home, by the way of
Cape Horn, that is- which was the only way he could get there- thrown
among people as strange to him as though he were in the planet
Jupiter; and yet he seemed entirely at his ease; preserving the utmost
serenity; content with his own companionship; always equal to himself.
Surely this was a touch of fine philosophy; though no doubt he had
never heard there was such a thing as that. But, perhaps, to be true
philosophers, we mortals should not be conscious of so living or so
striving. So soon as I hear that such or such a man gives himself out

for a philosopher, I conclude that, like the dyspeptic old woman, he
must have "broken his digester."

The discussion is about Queequeg's fine philosophy and equanimity. The
hidden allusions are (g)astro-logical, for they associate Jupiter (and
Sagittarius) with philosophy and digestion. Jupiter is our solar
system's big belly. In Moby-Dick, Queequeg is clearly linked with
Sagittarius. This sign is traditionally associated with long-distance
travels, higher education, philosophy and religion. Here, Ishmael
seems to contrast two views on philosophy: a "natural" and "true"
philosophy (that of the savage), and a "dyspeptic" one (that of the so-
called civilized). I infer, from previous chapters (i.e. the Carpet-
Bag), that "northern lights" are synonymous with German (dyspeptic,
that is, indigest) transcendental idealism.

It all sounds like Melville's own "Critique of Pure Reason".

Nick

PS. Ahab, too, wants to “break a digester"...

[MegDC]

This is all very helpful, thank you!

-- Meg