In+the+Heart+of+the+Sea

 In the Heart of the Sea

Summary: The book //In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex// is actually the basis of the story //Moby Dick// by Herman Melville. The story is a true one and details the last days of the whale ship Essex. The crew of the Essex hunted whales for their livelihood, and even though this was a standard practice during the early nineteenth century, the crew wasn’t completely innocent of taking life unnecessarily. During one of their trips one member of the crew, Thomas Chapel, started a fire that completely eliminated all wildlife on a thriving Galapagos Island killing thousands of birds, plant life, and lizards. They also killed and starved many Galapagos turtles, which could survive one whole year with no food or water, for their rich fatty meat. In 1820 the Essex was attacked by an enraged sperm whale and eventually sunk. The cause of the whale attack was later determined to be the second mate, Chase, mending his whaleboat. The sound made by the hammer that Chase was using to mend his whaleboat closely resembled the sound of another sperm whale. As he nailed a piece of canvas to fill the hole in his boat, the 85 foot sperm whale saw him as another male sperm whale and attacked the Essex. After two brutal rammings by the whale, the Essex succumbed and sunk. The surviving crew members were set adrift in their small whaleboats. They were approximately 3,000 miles away from South America, which was their chosen destination and an impossible voyage. Many lives could have been spared if they had listened to their captain Pollard, who had chosen the Society Islands, an easy voyage well less than half the distance to South America. As they drifted at sea they were forced to resort to cannibalism – a shame among sailors – which almost seemed like just punishment for the pain and suffering they inflicted on the animals. The only food the crew had was hardtack, a simple type of cracker made from flour, water, and salt.   Hardtack gave an average man around 300 calories, well less than a forth of the calories necessary to sustain a minimum level of health. They also ran out of water and as some hardtack was sprayed by the salty sea, it made the crew even thirstier. In the end, only eight crew members survived. Theme: The theme of the story is what a person will resort to in order to survive in difficult circumstances. The sailors of the Essex were stranded at sea on various small whaleboats after their main ship, the Essex, was sunk by an enraged sperm whale. After their food and water were depleted, they were forced to eat the bodies of their dead crewmates in order to survive. This would have been virtually impossible for any self respecting sailor or person in general to do. The author's purpose was to explain why people sometimes resort to otherwise inconceivable actions and the results of these actions.

My Opinions: Although I understand that the crew’s job was to hunt for whales and hunting whales was legal, it seems like a very cruel thing to do. The whalers also remind me of Americans that wastefully hunted buffalo during the 1800’s. During the hunts, the American hunters would kill the buffalo for their meat and hides, but wouldn’t use any other parts like the Native Americans did. The whalers would only cut off the blubber and collect the spermaceti – oil derived from the whale’s head – and throw everything else in the ocean. It was said that during the mid 1800’s one couldn’t sail the Atlantic Ocean without bumping into a rotting whale carcasses. I also disliked the fact that many species could have been made extinct by the carelessness and stupidity of Thomas Chapel, a boatsteerer on the Essex. He was a prankster and lit a fire on the Galapagos Island in order to trap some of the other crew members. Unfortunately, the grass and plant life on the island was extremely dry and the fire consumed everything on the island. Plants and animals were all destroyed. One thing that I liked in the book was that Richard Patterson, the sole African American on Chase’s whaleboat, led the crew in prayer every night while they drifted at sea. Patterson was a spiritual man and attempted to not only comfort the crew, but keep them working together. I admired this about him. [|Nathaniel Philbrick's Website] [|New Bedford Whaling Museum]

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