I haven't seen this mentioned. One old sailors' superstition is that when a person boards a ship, they MUST step aboard right foot first to ward off bad luck. Suppose Ahab had lost that lucky right leg in the previous voyage?
First, that explains why Elijah desperately urged Ishmael and Queequeg not to sail with Ahab. He knew for sure that when Ahab's foot touched the deck, it would be his unlucky left foot.
Secondly, this would explain why Ahab stayed below deck until the ship left harbor. Any superstitious seaman who saw the Captain coming up the gangplank missing his lucky right foot would likely jump ship then and there.
Thirdly, many among Ahab's readers would have recognized the omen if Melville had divulged it. That foreshadowing would spoil the book for many readers.
I could be totally wrong. But this "missing right foot" theory does explain #1 and #2 above, which are both puzzling inconsistencies that have always vaguely bothered me.
If I am right, Melville's omission was deliberate. He did not want to "tip his hand" to the many thousands of readers who would know of that old superstition, just as we landlubbers know about black cats and walking under ladders—whether we believe them or not. Because Melville was never forced to specify L or R, he avoided it. Maybe I'm right or maybe he just plain forgot!
The uncanny accuracy of Elijah's warnings puzzled me, especially after I had finished the novel. If Elijah had sailed with Ahab before, and returned safely to shore, then what was different about this upcoming voyage of the Pequod? Didn't Elijah ask Ishmael and Queequeg whether they had SEEN their new Captain? I cannot think of any quirk of appearance that would scare away new crewmen. In most rough professions, battle scars (such as a missing limb) were surely regarded as badges of courage. Why, then, did Elijah seem convinced they would change their minds if they clapped eyes on Ahab? The superstitious nature of sailors would stop them cold. And seeing it was impossible for Ahab to step aboard the Pequod with his right foot first would make an experienced crew member's blood run cold.
To be fair, Melville did ascribe serious powers of Prophecy to one other character— Fedallah. Some predictions:
1. Ahab will see two hearses on the sea before he dies.
2. Only hemp can kill Ahab.
3. Fedallah will "go before" Ahab as his pilot.
4. Ahab will have visions of hearses and coffinse before his death.
Arguably, all of these are fulfilled by the end of the novel. If the author was a rationalist, perhaps he owes his readers an explanation for the accurate predictions made by the mysterious stranger.
Much fun in this. I have a group reading Moby-Dick Aloud this year in Melbourne. Can I use some of you interesting stuff in our newsletter. I will of course give you credit. Hanging out for the next post😊
Very interesting! Like you, I was really surprised to learn that Melville didn't specify which leg Ahab had bitten off. I suppose it's one of those things that one doesn't think about until someone else points it out.
After your survey of English versions of Moby-Dick, I was curious and looked up illustrated versions of the novel in Danish, but could only find three illustrated editions, one of which had only some small motifs under chapter headings, so I couldn't learn anything from those about left vs. right legs. What I did find interesting, though, is that, despite Melville specifying that Ahab's leg was fashioned from the jaw of a sperm whale, all of the examples you provided show almost perfectly cylindrical (conical?) legs; whereas, the only good image I could find in a Danish book to hand attempts to make the mandibular origin more evident: https://i.imgur.com/sNPXRFr.png (illustrated by Rasmus Jensen).
Thanks for another great post and I look forward to more each week!
Wow -- yeah, I've never seen an Ahab with an actual jaw for a leg! We are told that the leg is made from "polished bone" and has been "whittled down to a point only." That point fits into several "augur holes" worn into the planks to stabilize Ahab, so we know at the very least that the end of it is a small cylinder. And then in Chapter 108 the carpenter is filing down the bone, creating so much dust that he sneezes throughout his conversation with Ahab. So it seems like it is more like the cylindrical model than a jawbone straight from a sperm whale's mouth, but there aren't all that many details about its shape or how it works. Much more to come on the leg in the next post though!
Interesting! Looking forward to part 2. I never realized the book doesn't specify which leg is missing. When I imagine Ahab, I imagine the left leg to be missing. Not sure why. Maybe because Ahab is a sinister character!
Same -- it didn't dawn on me for a long time that it's never mentioned. I think in my mind's eye I've always pictured it on the right but that might just because I'm right handed. When he kicks Stubb (in a dream) with the peg leg, I think of him as kicking with his right leg.
I haven't seen this mentioned. One old sailors' superstition is that when a person boards a ship, they MUST step aboard right foot first to ward off bad luck. Suppose Ahab had lost that lucky right leg in the previous voyage?
First, that explains why Elijah desperately urged Ishmael and Queequeg not to sail with Ahab. He knew for sure that when Ahab's foot touched the deck, it would be his unlucky left foot.
Secondly, this would explain why Ahab stayed below deck until the ship left harbor. Any superstitious seaman who saw the Captain coming up the gangplank missing his lucky right foot would likely jump ship then and there.
Thirdly, many among Ahab's readers would have recognized the omen if Melville had divulged it. That foreshadowing would spoil the book for many readers.
I could be totally wrong. But this "missing right foot" theory does explain #1 and #2 above, which are both puzzling inconsistencies that have always vaguely bothered me.
Interesting theory! The question of how/why Melville 'forgot' to mention which leg is yet another curious aspect of the mystery.
If I am right, Melville's omission was deliberate. He did not want to "tip his hand" to the many thousands of readers who would know of that old superstition, just as we landlubbers know about black cats and walking under ladders—whether we believe them or not. Because Melville was never forced to specify L or R, he avoided it. Maybe I'm right or maybe he just plain forgot!
The uncanny accuracy of Elijah's warnings puzzled me, especially after I had finished the novel. If Elijah had sailed with Ahab before, and returned safely to shore, then what was different about this upcoming voyage of the Pequod? Didn't Elijah ask Ishmael and Queequeg whether they had SEEN their new Captain? I cannot think of any quirk of appearance that would scare away new crewmen. In most rough professions, battle scars (such as a missing limb) were surely regarded as badges of courage. Why, then, did Elijah seem convinced they would change their minds if they clapped eyes on Ahab? The superstitious nature of sailors would stop them cold. And seeing it was impossible for Ahab to step aboard the Pequod with his right foot first would make an experienced crew member's blood run cold.
To be fair, Melville did ascribe serious powers of Prophecy to one other character— Fedallah. Some predictions:
1. Ahab will see two hearses on the sea before he dies.
2. Only hemp can kill Ahab.
3. Fedallah will "go before" Ahab as his pilot.
4. Ahab will have visions of hearses and coffinse before his death.
Arguably, all of these are fulfilled by the end of the novel. If the author was a rationalist, perhaps he owes his readers an explanation for the accurate predictions made by the mysterious stranger.
Much fun in this. I have a group reading Moby-Dick Aloud this year in Melbourne. Can I use some of you interesting stuff in our newsletter. I will of course give you credit. Hanging out for the next post😊
Of course! Feel free to use anything you'd like :)
Great
Very interesting! Like you, I was really surprised to learn that Melville didn't specify which leg Ahab had bitten off. I suppose it's one of those things that one doesn't think about until someone else points it out.
After your survey of English versions of Moby-Dick, I was curious and looked up illustrated versions of the novel in Danish, but could only find three illustrated editions, one of which had only some small motifs under chapter headings, so I couldn't learn anything from those about left vs. right legs. What I did find interesting, though, is that, despite Melville specifying that Ahab's leg was fashioned from the jaw of a sperm whale, all of the examples you provided show almost perfectly cylindrical (conical?) legs; whereas, the only good image I could find in a Danish book to hand attempts to make the mandibular origin more evident: https://i.imgur.com/sNPXRFr.png (illustrated by Rasmus Jensen).
Thanks for another great post and I look forward to more each week!
Wow -- yeah, I've never seen an Ahab with an actual jaw for a leg! We are told that the leg is made from "polished bone" and has been "whittled down to a point only." That point fits into several "augur holes" worn into the planks to stabilize Ahab, so we know at the very least that the end of it is a small cylinder. And then in Chapter 108 the carpenter is filing down the bone, creating so much dust that he sneezes throughout his conversation with Ahab. So it seems like it is more like the cylindrical model than a jawbone straight from a sperm whale's mouth, but there aren't all that many details about its shape or how it works. Much more to come on the leg in the next post though!
Interesting! Looking forward to part 2. I never realized the book doesn't specify which leg is missing. When I imagine Ahab, I imagine the left leg to be missing. Not sure why. Maybe because Ahab is a sinister character!
Same -- it didn't dawn on me for a long time that it's never mentioned. I think in my mind's eye I've always pictured it on the right but that might just because I'm right handed. When he kicks Stubb (in a dream) with the peg leg, I think of him as kicking with his right leg.