Page Turning Non-Fiction: In The Heart of The Sea

[Edwardsville Public Library]

Reading Schedule:
Week One (9/9-9/15): Chapters 1-3
Week Two (9/16-9/22): Chapters 4-7
Week Three (9/23-9/29): Chapters 8-11
Week Four (9/30-10/16): Chapters 12-Epilogue
I hope to hear from you soon!

[Edwardsville Public Library]

The whaling industry caused a unique domestic lifestyle in 1800s Nantucket. With the men being away for 2-3 years at a time, the women of Nantucket took on responsibilities and enjoyed some freedoms that mainland women did not. Did anyone have some interesting takeaways from life on Nantucket as described in the book?

[Katherine]

It was interesting to read about a community that was so different from those of the same time period. For me, it would be very hard to relinquish control after having so much freedom. Even within the family, the wife would be the disciplinarian and have complete autonomy with the budget. It would be a rough adjustment if the husband came back to stay for any length of time.

[Edwardsville Public Library]

Considering the mortality rate of the whaling industry, perhaps the sense of relief that the husbands made it home safely made it easier to relinquish that control. Even if a man does survive, he might only be around his children for a few months before leaving for another couple of years. I think it's interesting that the young men who desperately want to work on these ships have been raised mainly by their mothers and grandmothers. Judging from the experience of the green hands in the book, that homelife doesn't equip these boys for life at sea. They have a romantic idea about being aboard a whaling ship, but what a rude awakening it must have been.

[Katherine]

I don't know that anything could have prepared the green hands for what they were going to experience whaling. Perhaps there would have been more stories told about the stench of the blubber rendering and the fearsome nature of the whales if more whaling men were around. But I think the experience could be compared to war. Is anyone ever really prepared for war? Sure, stories of how horrible it is are told, but those who experience it first hand are never quite prepared.

[Edwardsville Public Library]

Yes, preparation will only get you so far when you encounter a fight-or-flight situation. At some point, it just takes a certain personality--a certain resolve. That's what separates a soldier at war from his peers that received the same kind of preparation.

[Edwardsville Public Library]

Something that strikes me about the whaling industry is the emphasis on luck. Everyone back at Nantucket is focused on omens. Daniel Russell, The Essex's previous captain, was said to have taken his good luck to his new ship, leaving The Essex devoid of any good fortune. Is this something that we would find in any high-risk occupation?

[Jill]

I cannot imagine the relief they must have felt when they saw the island followed by the complete disbelief and disappointment they must have felt when they found there was little fresh water and food there. I also find it interesting that three of the men decided to stay on the island and take their chances there vs get back on the boats and attempt to reach land. And they all survived! I wonder what I would have chosen. How about you?

[Edwardsville Public Library]

Facing uncertainty and peril at sea for any length of time, any sense of comfort on solid ground would probably seem irresistible. For these guys, or for any kind of military defector, the moment of comfort you have is far more appealing than going back out and putting yourself in danger.

[Katherine]

It was not an enviable choice. I can't imagine being able to get back on those little boats after being on solid ground. I think I would have stayed on the island.

[Edwardsville Public Library]

I usually don't want to speak for the entire Edwardsville Public Library, but I'm going out on a limb to say that we're categorically against cannibalism. In situations like the events of the book, or for the survivors of the Uruguayan rugby team that crashed in the Andes, the acts of cannibalism are quickly forgiven for the sake of survival. What sets the whaleboats apart from the Uruguayan plane crash, and what is perhaps more upsetting than the act of cannibalism itself, is the concept of 'drawing of lots.' Is this also forgivable for the sake of survival? And how about the revelation that Owen Coffin might have actually taken the fall for George Pollard?