Away Offshore by Nathaniel Philbrick
I enjoyed reading in parts of this book on Nantucket. It supplemented some of the information we gleaned from our reading around here and from the visit to the Whale Museum.
In particular, I liked the story of Icabod Paddock who goes into the belly of a large whale named CrookJaw and find a beautiful mermaid playing cards with devil. She wins. The stakes turn out to be Icabod himself and so he returns day after day until his wife gets wind of it and fashions a harpoon from silver, the metal known to be able to kill witches. Her father kills poor old CrookJaw with the harpoon and no cabin or mermaid is found, just a stand of yellow hair.
I liked this story. Beautiful women and card playing makes a great story anywhere and when it includes the sea and a whale, it is just a treasure to find.
p.77 "If what the Nantucketeers called "whaling business' was tantamount to a religious quest, the island's new religion Quakerism, was the spiritual equivalent of a business."
This is a fine line that describes the state of whaling and the irony that these gentle people were able to be so ruthless toward a cousin creature.
The stories of the strength of Richard Macy were also fine, similar to those legends of heroes of the West.
I enjoyed reading in parts of this book on Nantucket. It supplemented some of the information we gleaned from our reading around here and from the visit to the Whale Museum.
In particular, I liked the story of Icabod Paddock who goes into the belly of a large whale named CrookJaw and find a beautiful mermaid playing cards with devil. She wins. The stakes turn out to be Icabod himself and so he returns day after day until his wife gets wind of it and fashions a harpoon from silver, the metal known to be able to kill witches. Her father kills poor old CrookJaw with the harpoon and no cabin or mermaid is found, just a stand of yellow hair.
I liked this story. Beautiful women and card playing makes a great story anywhere and when it includes the sea and a whale, it is just a treasure to find.
p.77 "If what the Nantucketeers called "whaling business' was tantamount to a religious quest, the island's new religion Quakerism, was the spiritual equivalent of a business."
This is a fine line that describes the state of whaling and the irony that these gentle people were able to be so ruthless toward a cousin creature.
The stories of the strength of Richard Macy were also fine, similar to those legends of heroes of the West.
No comments:
Post a Comment