Visiting the New Bedford Whaling Museum this weekend has highlight certain passages from Moby Dick for me. Larry, our charismatic tour guide (as Gabby agreed) lead us to the first exhibit which was that of a Sperm Whale skeleton. I was in awe at the size of the bones, and could not fathom how large this animal was in its life. This whale is comparable to dinosaurs on display at a paleontology museum. I now understand why it is that Ishmael ultimately admits he has failed in capturing the physical essence of the whale with words. In the chapter called, “Measurements of the Whale’s Skeleton” Ishmael says, “In length, the Sperm Whale’s skeleton at Tranque measured seventy two feet; so that when fully invested and extended in life, he must have been ninety feet long; for in the whale, the skeleton loses about one fifth in length compared with the living body”(Melville 347). I had originally underestimated Melville’s elaborate descriptions, dismissing them as exaggerations, but what I had truly underestimated was the enormity of a Sperm Whale.

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Another part of the text I overlooked was chapter 57, “Of Whales in Paint; in teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in Stone; in Mountains; in Stars” where the sailors are depicted as vulnerable artists. I thought the representation of the sailors as artistic was a fabrication with the intention of plot thickening. It was not until I saw the scrimshawed whale teeth on display that I realized how much talent and discipline many of these sailors had. “Throughout the Pacific, and also in Nantucket, and New Bedford, and Sag Harbor, you will come across lively sketches of whales and whaling scenes, graven by the fisherman themselves on Sperm Whale-teeth…”(Melville 221). It seems that my fellow classmates agree on the extraordinary nature of the whale teeth. Our tour guide called the display where this artwork was kept the “Oh My God” room, named after the exhibits most frequent reaction.

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  1. I love your pictures of the scrimshaw, that room really was awesome. The art really was incredible, I never would have suspected a crew of whale men on a moving ship would have such steady hands a a delicate touch enough for etching and carving such fine masterpieces.

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