Depiction: Ishmael carrying his carpet bag, on the edge of a rocky cliff staring out to sea, at the beginning of his journey.
Text: Chapter 1, Loomings
Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.
Comments: This is an obvious card for Ishmael, and would fit for almost any protagonist. Ishmael embodies The Fool at the start of the book, naive and new to the world of whaling, weary of life on land and waiting to see where the water will take him.
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| Richard Basehart as Ishmael/Warner Bros. (1956) |
Alternate Depiction: Pip boarding the Pequod. This scene is not in the book, but in terms of archetypes, Pip is also very close to The Fool, a symbolic image which became the Jester of today's playing cards. First, he plays the role of troubadour, wandering around with his tambourine. Melville was absorbed in Shakespeare at the time of writing Moby Dick, so this seems consistent with this idea. Second, after Pip is lost at sea and goes mad, he becomes the wise fool counseling the king (Ahab). But in the tarot sense meaning beginnings, Ishmael is a better fit for this card.
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