There are no hints in Moby Dick. The whale never makes an appearance in the distance (except perhaps in the chapter called "The Spirit-Spout", but that is never resolved to any satisfaction). The crew never comes upon any wrecked ship which they can look at and say "Hmmm...this looks like the work of the white whale." There isn't even rumor of him. The Pequod meets with several other ships during her voyage, but no one has seen anything resembling Moby Dick. I am then forced to ask myself, what the devil is the point? Other than to give Melville yet more excuse to run out on his beloved tangents, why have them meet any ships at all? The book is so devoid of its monster that, when he finally turns up, I couldn't give a toss.
The last three chapters detail the showdown between Ahab and Moby Dick and, to be fair, they are mildly compelling when considered in a vacuum. The whale has an air of the supernatural with its malicious attacks, shattering both boats and, ultimately, the Pequod with devilish strategy. The problem, however, is that the reader is plunged into a final reckoning which has no prelude. There was no give and take, no tension building skirmishes or close calls.
Because we don't see the white whale until the last battle, we have nothing invested in seeing him destroyed. When the chase finally got underway, I just wanted Ahab to hurry up and kill the damn thing - or himself - so the book would end. In fact, had I not been committed to writing this column, I would have quit the novel long before seeing Moby Dick. The only reason I pushed on to the finish is because I wanted to be authoritative in saying that this book is the most overrated story I have ever read.
Despite the awkward banter, I am always satisfied with the end of Jaws. The monster (who has certainly earned the name) is blown to smithereens, I feel some emotional loss at the death of Quinn, and it is a fairly happy ending. At the end of Moby Dick, the whale drags Ahab under and I am thrilled that I will never see either of them again. I didn't even touch on Melville's narrative issues, but suffice it to say that old Herman would have been taken to task by my freshman creative writing teacher for changing styles so often.
Article comments
1 - Steve F
Thanks for the article - the paralleles between Moby Dick and Jaws have always fascinated me.
Your frustration with Melville comes through loud and clear, but isn't it unfair to compare a rambling 19 century novel and a modern high-tech film? SUrely the real comparison would be between Spielberg's and Huston's films, where I believe Moby Dick more than holds its own.