In the introductory notes to the Oxford World Classics edition of Moby Dick, we read of the idea of a "lost origin," (xiv) of "paternity unknown" and the quest for belonging, for the archetypical or symbolic "mythic womb." While these ideas are a bit abstract and perhaps unapproachable for the common man, Melville did, in fact, see mankind in a state of insularity or isolation--a state wherein individuals, though surrounded by other people, were endlessly and needlessly alone. For Melville, learning to overcome this isolation was one of the primary aims of life and literature (see Introduction, xv).
The beginning of Moby Dick is full of disconnected, discontented strangers. Really, the only real references to union or companionship include:
- the couples huddled in the Whalemen's Chapel
- Captains Peleg and Bildad
- Queequog and Ishmael.
