symbolism

I guess like everyone else, I wasn't paying attention to the story this time around. I could let go of figuring out what in the world was going on in favor of relishing in the little things. What I really noticed was how the action of the sea seemed to somewhat mirror the actions of those on the boat. On p. 53, at the first sighting of the boat, we see an immediate connection between the boat and its inhabitants: "Ere long it seemed hard to decide whether [the boat] meant to come in or no--what she wanted, or what she was about. The wind, which had breezed up a little during the night, was now extremely light and baffling, which the more increased the apparent uncertainty of her movements." When Delano is on the boat, they get swept into a current taking them offshore, while Delano is being swept into this new, foreign, and suspicious world. During all of their interactions, they are at a stale place out in the water. Then, as Delano starts to figure out what is going on, a breeze picks up, and everybody starts acting weirder and weirder up until the climax, when we finally see some action.

Certainly there are other things to notice, such as the what I can now see as obvious hints at what was actually going on, as well as nuances in characters that were lost the first time around. I just happened to pick up on the sea references, and I feel like it helped to support Melville's story at least a little bit. Now whether the surroundings were affecting the action or if it was the other way around, I'm not sure. I don't know if they are even a cause-and-effect relationship. I just like that there is more than meets the eye with this book.