Reflection In The Heart Of The Sea

1747 Words7 Pages
In the Heart of the Sea, A Reflection Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex is a perturbing parable about the epic maritime disaster of 1820; it imparts the true story of the crew of the wrecked whale ship christened Essex. The vessel leaves port in Nantucket, Massachusetts on a whaling voyage on August 12, 1819. Whaling, a very lucrative but dangerous practice was quite common during the time of the tragic event: an irate whale throws itself upon the deck of the Essex, thus demolishing it and leaving the crew to fend for themselves in the middle of the Central Pacific Ocean. Multiple opportunities for salvation present themselves to the men of the Essex, but they would travel 4,500 nautical…show more content…
Nathaniel Philbrick uses extensive research to show the precise situation that the men of the Essex were in. Philbrick wanted to show that the tale of the Essex is more than just the basis for Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. It’s a survival tale that took place during a pivotal time in American history. The whalers of the nineteenth century were the frontiersmen of their time, and their story has been lost to our generation. In retrospect, In the Heart of the Sea is even more than a historic account of the event. It has many lessons to teach and can have a profound effect on the reader. From this book, one can learn an especially important lesson: be prepared for anything and everything. The crew was caught completely off-guard by a whale twice, once on the whaleboat and once on the Essex herself. In both situations, while there was no way to predict that the whales would damage the vessels, there were also no precautions taken in case they did. Though the whale attack is admittedly a near impossible circumstance, the crew also had no plan established in the event of a wreck. They had no way to contact anyone for help, nor any knowledge of how to survive on the islands. Had the crew been better prepared, the tragedy may not have been so

More about Reflection In The Heart Of The Sea

Open Document