Anthropomorphizing

In this past week’s reading, Ishmael spent a great deal of effort describing whales and seemingly assigning them human characteristics.  I first noticed this in chapter 69 “The Funeral”, where Ishmael describes the release of the whale’s remains to be “mourned” by the vultures and sharks that devour it.  Furthermore, in the chapter that I found to be most interesting, “Schools and Schoolmasters”, Ishmael describes habitual nature of whales to form schools of females, with one male “schoolmaster”.  In detailing this, Ishmael notes the male’s tendency to protect his harem, his family if you will, from the possible danger that foreign whales entail.  Ishmael even compares the romantic feelings that he believes male whales feel for their female counterparts to that of humans with his quote, “As ashore, the ladies often cause the most terrible duels among their rival admirers; just so with the with the whales, who sometimes come to deadly battle, and all for love”.  This statement is particularly interesting because it presupposes that whales possess the capacity to love and admire females in a capacity that surpasses mere reproductive instinct.  Following this digression by Ishmael, it is possible to come full circle and view the events of the preceding chapter, “The Grand Armada”, with a new look.  While following the herd of whales, the crew is besieged by a pirate ship that is attempting to kill them for the valuable possessions onboard.  Through this event, it becomes possible to further humanize the hunted whales, as it becomes apparent that the humans onboard the Pequod are no less in danger of being hunted than the whales are.