25 Things: Read Moby Dick

One of the things on my list of things to do before turning 25 was read Moby Dick.  I felt that this is one of the classics that you always hear about, but actually not that many people have read cover to cover.  As an avid reader and generally trying-to-be-educated person, I decided to add it to my list.

*Warning: spoilers ahead* (not that most people don't know what happens in this book anyways)

Altogether, I mostly enjoyed this book.  The beginning was pretty interesting (though quite racist at moments) but then, like a long journey at sea, settled into a long monotony, with every few chapters something minor occurring, and in between these, long essays on topics such as the meaning of whiteness (since Moby Dick was a white whale), or classification of different types of whales.  Finally, there was a ton of action in about the last three chapters.  So, while I enjoyed the book, I felt like it would have been more interesting if it were shorter.  However, I can imagine that this feeling is a product of my age and generation; in a day of instant access to so much information and entertainment, we have much less patience for a slow-moving story than Melville's original audience may have.

My favorite quote occurs early in the book, when Ishmael, the narrator, is describing the different types of whales, and says that, despite the monumental task of differentiating between whales, he is up to the task: "...I have swam through libraries and sailed through oceans..."  I love this quote because it gives such a great image of reading and knowledge.

Anyways, despite the nice moments in this book, I am quite glad to be done reading it, and if I put another book on my list in the future, it will hopefully be one I find less tedious.