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MOBY-DICK – Revenge and Redemption – A Filmscript - 8. Appendix 3 - Moby-Dick Text Endnotes
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Moby-Dick Text Endnotes
[1] Redburn’s carpetbag: the following link shows a rare photograph of a man from the 1840s – who could very well be a sailor – with a carpetbag. Redburn enters The Spouter Inn with one just like this:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/de/3e/87/de3e87953a4765bb95c7aca482d543cd.jpg
[2] Māori scepters / war clubs: These, along with old whaling harpoons, spears, etc., are hanging in the hallway of The Spouter Inn:
https://chinesemartialstudies.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/museum.jpg
[3] Sooty painting in the hall of The Spouter Inn: the scene is a dramatic, nighttime setting of the real-life whaling vessel Essex, stove and sunk by a whale on November 20, 1820. The ship was struck by a sperm whale defending his family members from being slaughtered by her crew. The event has gone down in history as one of the few reported attacks against whalers. The whale sacrificed himself, as such a blow to his highly sensitive head was fatal, and he knew it:
A survivor’s firsthand sketch of the Essex under attack:
[4] Sperm whales: a few examples to stimulate the imagination:
https://kidssearch.com/picsearch/images/whale-pic-1487x750-b871042.png
https://i.chzbgr.com/full/9245114880/h523060AA
[5] The “Doxology” theme: Thomas Ken’s 1674 hymn is a mainstay of the Protestant sect of English-speaking Christianity. It’s something 19th Americans would know by heart:
[6] Quaker gentlemen: the Society of Friends espouses quiet dignity and respect for all mankind. They were in fact the first Christian sect to acknowledge the naturalness and abundance of same-sex love in the world and to advocate for Gay Rights. The following link shows an older Quaker gentleman, photographed in the 1860s, who might inspire the deportment and dress of Captain Ahab:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/28223/28223-h/images/i066.jpg
The following link shows George Lippard as a young Quaker man in 1842. Lippard was a noted author who may very well inspire the nature of Starbuck’s intensity and personal styling (after a proper shampooing, naturally):
https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lole75vjhs1qa51rdo1_500.jpg
[7] Queequeg’s shaving mirror: early 19th century American mahogany vanity mirror on a stand. This is the type in his room at The Spouter Inn:
[8] Queequeg’s inspiration: Tupai Cupa was a celebrated Māori harpooner from the first quarter of the 19th century. His exploits, and the beauty of his body and tattooed face, formed the source of Melville’s inspiration for the heroism and noble bearing of Queequeg:
http://www.andrewcusack.com/net/wp-content/uploads/tpkba1.jpg
Another 19th century Māori man with face tattoos and wearing a Hei-tiki:
[9] Queequeg’s Top hat: the reason why Melville says the harpooner would be so facetious about his top hat is explained by it being white. White top hats were the height of men’s fashion in the 1830s when Queequeg first set foot in America. The following links show a respective beaver and calfskin version of this item of apparel:
https://64.media.tumblr.com/3480dfb2ed9d7e12bfe81276a24ca6b3/tumblr_inline_nurxorjIWk1t56ltq_400.jpg
[10] Daggoo’s inspiration: it might be perceived as a bit of a stretch, but as the other harpooners – Tashego and Queequeg – are both modeled on famous whaling figures, the early 19th century’s most famous Black whaler was Absalom Boston. Born on Nantucket, he was the first non-white to secure investors for him to captain a whaling venture – with an all-Black crew, no less – and came back an equivalent to today’s millionaires. He then proceeded to be a Civil Right pioneer and education reformer par excellence. His portrait can be found here:
http://www.girlonawhaleship.org/note/views/absalom_boston.jpg
Here is the Wikipedia entry on the man:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absalom_Boston
(As a total aside, for what it's worth, in October of 2020 I caught a brief clip of Ray Bradbury's version of “Moby Dick” [sic], a film I have not seen since viewing it on TV as a teenager, and noted the actor chosen to play Daggoo bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Boston.)
[11] Tashego’s inspiration: the following link shows an early 1850s photograph of the first Native American to receive a captain’s commission onboard a whaler. Amos Haskins was a member of the same tribe as Tashego, The Wampanoag Band, from Gay Head, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts:
Incidentally, this 1851 photograph shows another Gay Head native sailor and whaler, one very worthy of attention when considering Tashego’s appearance:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/64/de/fa/64defa2b7a8a115169de8a2116ce417b.jpg
[12] ”The Counterpane”: counterpane is an outmoded word for bedspread, but it has come to stand for the type most popular in mid-19th century America. The following link shows a red example with the overall geometrical pattering Redburn says blended with the tattoos on Queequeg’s arm:
http://www.antiques.com/vendor_item_images/ori__670583081_1075564_3b.jpg
[13] Yojo: in every likelihood, what Melville had in mind for Queequeg’s icon is a Hei-tiki. These were very popular Māori items of personal adornment / protection – rather along the lines of a St. Christopher medal – and served as either a reminder of the godly father of primordial man, or, of the of the earth mother who brought life and death into the world. Melville was probably inspired by these to create an image for Queequeg’s form of prayer. The following is an 18th century freestanding example:
A 19th century Māori woman wearing a Hei-tiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hei-tiki#/media/File:Hinepare.jpg
A tattoo design recorded in the 19th century of a Hei-tiki:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0d/5d/ad/0d5dad9cccfbb8f65ac0104b65f0ec64.jpg
[14] Valparaiso, Chile: a lovely place to fall in love:
https://makemytravel.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/images_13/29Chile.jpg
https://h7.alamy.com/comp/3/b852fcc43d75438d9417da1090806e14/t2rb1r.jpg
https://h7.alamy.com/comp/3/a3f194d6a60e4b069093d33fe8c71cb4/2b75yw6.jpg
https://h7.alamy.com/comp/3/9936e98bd2914b6aa5d43c43a88f9cb2/tc8jnx.jpg
[15] Queequeg’s coin purse: tortoiseshell coin purses were status symbol items in the 1840s. The following links show some period-correct examples:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0298/3392/0556/products/1008tspurse_300x300.jpg?v=1582682125
[16] Whaling tools: the following links show the familiar tools of the whaling trade:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1a/7a/36/1a7a3621b158adb5b09044b423a43d86.jpg
https://library.csun.edu/sites/default/files/Exhibitions/ocean_bird_4.jpg
[17] ”We’ll drink tonight with hearts so light” etc.: these lyrics are adapted from ones by Charles Fenno Hoffman.
Sparkling and Bright
Sparkling and bright in liquid light
Does the wine our goblets gleam in,
With hue as red as the rosy bed
Which a bee would choose to dream in.
Then fill to-night, with hearts as light,
To loves as gay and fleeting
As bubbles that swim on the beaker’s brim,
And break on the lips while meeting.
Oh! if Mirth might arrest the flight
Of Time through Life’s dominions,
We here awhile would now beguile
The gray-beard of his pinions,
To drink to-night, with hearts as light,
To loves as gay and fleeting
As bubbles that swim on the beaker’s brim,
And break on the lips while meeting.
But since delight can’t tempt the wight,
Nor fond regret delay him,
Nor Love himself can hold the elf,
Nor sober Friendship stay him,
We’ll drink to-night, with hearts as light,
To loves as gay and fleeting
As bubbles that swim on the beaker’s brim,
And break on the lips while meeting.
See The [Complete] Poems of Charles Fenno Hoffman, 1873 Philadelphia, page 195:
https://archive.org/details/poemsofcharlesfe00hoff/page/194/mode/2up
[18] Queequeg’s coffin likeness: Tupai Cupa drew this self-portrait of his face tattoos reputedly from memory, as he did not have a mirror when he made it. This is the type of carving Queequeg places on the lid of the instrument he knows will save his partner’s life:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/94/b4/e1/94b4e16ec3d23ddfa47efe3a1370e4c9.jpg
[19] ”The Water is Wide”: this traditional song for male voice speaks of a love strong as the heart of oak – a maritime reference – which is little talked about, and even less often performed:
[20] See the following “Sailor Couples in Photographs” appendix for authentic sailors’ wedding-type portraits from the 19th century, and snapshots from the early 20th. This gallery can provide inspiration on styling, clothes, backdrops, furniture, poses and the subtle ways in which these men relayed to the skeptical world that they are indeed together. Particularly easy to read for period-savvy audiences is the way the men hold hands, because right-to-right signals friendship, while left-to-right hand holding signals marriage. Hands not being held are often positioned to show off matched signet-type rings on the left-hand wedding finger – signet or cabochon; man-type rings as opposed to the plain wedding bands used by straights. Backdrops also often feature the same props used for opposite-sex wedding portraits. These can be standing sprays of bridal flowers or wreaths, conjoined rings, lacy table covers, cigars, and other items. Also note the various styles of gilt frames the pictures are mounted below. Besides floral or geometrical designs, some display nautical themes or feature flags in the corner registers.
[21] Sal’s clothing: the following link shows Chilean men from an 1854 French engraving. Sal wears similar shirts and embroidered jerseys as the man pictured in blue. Sal also wears the classic long scarf tied around the waist as a sort of cummerbund:
https://khronoshistoria.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/vagamundos-en-chile.png
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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