44 pages • 1 hour read
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
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Background
Historical Context: Whaling in the 19th Century
Whaling was an absolutely vital component of the early modern economy thanks to the Industrial Revolution. With the rise of industrial machinery and increasing reliance on trains, the need for vast quantities of lubricating oil drove the whaling industry to fantastic heights (whale oil’s other primary use was in lamps). In the United States, Nantucket became the undisputed whaling capital, as the island dedicated almost the whole of its resources to funding hunting expeditions.
The Nantucket whaling industry initially focused on the right whale, but quickly shifted to the sperm whale due to the superiority and greater density of its resources. Sperm whales were hunted primarily for three reasons. First, as with all whales, the animal’s blubber could be stripped and rendered down into oil. Second, waxy deposits in the whale’s digestive system known as ambergris were highly prized for use in the manufacturing of perfume. Third, and most importantly, the sperm whale was known specifically for spermaceti (or sperm oil) stored in the head cavity of the whales. This oil was the best oil known for both industrial use and as fuel for lamps.
When the whaling industry began to grow in prominence in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, whaling vessels were typically small boats that could move quickly but had a relatively restricted range. Over time, the practice of whaling evolved; large ships that could cover vast distances and remain at sea for protracted lengths of time would carry several smaller whaleboats that were launched during hunts. The Essex was such a ship, capable of staying at sea for two to three years, even as an older and more fragile vessel by the time of its final voyage.
Literary Context: The Tragedy of the Essex and the Novel Moby-Dick
The story of the Essex tragedy was the proximate inspiration for Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick, the tale of Captain Ahab’s vengeful quest to hunt down the infamous and eponymous white whale. Published in 1851, Moby-Dick was largely a commercial failure at the time of its publication—an ironic twist of fate considering that it now ranks among the greatest works of American literature. Drawing on his own experience as a sailor, Melville combined his knowledge concerning sailing and whaling with elements of the tale of the Essex and its tragic end.
While Moby-Dick is not a one-to-one transposition of the Essex story, Melville seems to have drawn on the figures of both Pollard and Chase to help create the character of Captain Ahab. The depiction combines certain qualities of Pollard’s leadership with Chase’s arrogance and drive to continue whaling (even years after the tragedy). Melville, in fact, had received a copy of Owen Chase’s book from Chase’s son William, and the tale of the Essex and the destruction of the ship by the whale clearly affected the young author: “Moby-Dick contains several detailed references to the attack of the whale on the Essex, but it is the climax of the novel that draws most heavily on Chase’s narrative” (219). The most significant difference between the two stories lies in the aftermath of this climax. Where the destruction of the Pequod marks the end of Melville’s novel, killing everyone but the narrator, the sinking of the Essex was only the beginning of her crew’s ordeal.
Melville was also deeply inspired by the character of the Nantucket whalers as idiosyncratic and completely devoted to their craft. As Philbrick relates: “Melville would write in the ‘Nantucket’ chapter of Moby-Dick: ‘The Nantucketer, he alone resides and rests on the sea; he alone, in Bible language, goes down to it in ships; to and fro ploughing it as his own special plantation’” (99).
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By Nathaniel Philbrick
