Week 3 - Through Chapter 66

[Everyman]

Roger wrote: "I don't think it's that Ishmael is fascinated with whales, it's that Melville is. "

I think you may be right. Apparently this is the first whaling trip that Ishmael has taken, though he has taken several other voyages as a crew member. If he were fascinated with whales, wouldn't he have taken one earlier?

OTOH, I suppose you could say that the reason he went whaling this time was precisely because from his other voyages he had become fascinated with whales, presumably seeing them while on his other voyages and maybe talking about them and hunting them with other crew members who had been whaling.

Okay, I'm totally ambivalent now!

[Silver]

Everyman wrote:I think you may be right. Apparently this is the first whaling trip that Ishmael has taken, though he has taken several other voyages as a crew member. If he were fascinated with whales, wouldn't he have taken one earlier?"

The way I view it is that his becoming involved in the whaling voyage is what is breeding within him his new found fascination with whales.

He is getting a look of these creatures that he never had before, and considering his background as a teacher he is being driven to want to learn more, which I think is spurning on his growing interest the more he comes to know and discover.