"But, alas! the practices of whalemen soon convinced him that even Christians could be both miserable and wicked; infinitely more so, than all his father's heathens."
—from chapter 12 of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, "Biographical"
---
An awakening. A loss of innocence. And yet a willingness to stay in this world of depravity.
---
Furthermore, a pact to set out upon the sea together: "both my hands in his." Then a kiss of sorts to seal the pact before blowing out the light. (Although I imagine a few final puffs upon the tomahawk as well. It's not there in the text, but it feels like it should be.)
No comments:
Post a Comment