Last night I finished reading Moby-dick, and I doubt if I will ever read a finer book. i suppose the character I feel the most for is poor Starbuck, the first mate: he warned Ahab that what he was doing was insane, and I actually think there was a glimmer of hope when they both looked into each others eyes over the side, but Ahab was Ahab, and Ahab must have his whale! He knew that what he was doing as insane, but he was too wrapped up in the idea of revenging himself to stop. The first mate, Starbuck, should have killed him – he had a chance – but he was too much of a man of honour. As much as he wanted to see his wife ad son again, his sense of duty was too strong. I really feel for him, and, in a way, admire him.

Not for nought is Moby-Dick called one of the greatest books ever written. It is so layered, ranging from episode to episode, symbol to symbol, myth to myth that it begs to be re-read, and I plan to in a while. It is just so packed with thought-provoking metaphors, allusions to classical literature, and the most magnificent use of language that I was barely qualified to read it. Nevertheless, next time I’m asked what my favourite novel is, I’ll say Moby-dick.

I cannot give it a proper review after just one reading. I will, however, say this: Herman Melville, although at one stage poignantly predicting that the sperm whale would never become extinct, in a passage which jars against the conscious, was ahead of his time. In his book, we see the Piquod, under the megalomaniac Ahab, but today we also might see America itself on it’s own quest for revenge. The question is, is there a Starbuck who will stand up and stop the old man before it is too late?