In The Heart Of The Sea Analysis

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, a story of tragedy, triumph, and whaling, describe the tragedy that took place of the whaleship, Essex, and its twenty-man crew. In Nantucket, a place where its citizens lived, breathed, and died whaling, it wasn’t uncommon for tragedies like this at sea to happen, but no one on Nantucket thought that when the Essex left the port, it would never return. Philbrick born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania wrote many stories of the sea involving Nantucket history including, but not limited to: Away Off Shore, Abram’s Eyes, and the Sea of Glory. He wrote these books including, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,

Often, on more than one occasion, the captain allowed his decision to be compromised by his first mate, and second mate, Owen Chase, and Matthew Joy. Philbrick explains on page 101, “…Pollard was conducting himself less like a captain and more like a veteran mate…” (Philbrick, 101). His first mate often overpowered him. Since Philbrick used the theme of man and nature, it wasn’t surprising to see that once whales were spotted, the first mate who was so over powering would constantly cause trouble during the chase of the sperm whales. It was often said that the first to row to the whale was the strongest among the group. But, Chase, the second mate, had many incidents involving ruining his whaleship more than once putting his small crew at risk. He allowed the chase to endanger their overall goal. Once the ship was sunk by the large bull sperm whale, the men who thought they were so large against these massive creatures became weak. Quite quickly these twenty men lost at sea between three small boats and little supplies started to learn that nature would take its course and to survive they must follow the rules of nature. Like the sperm whale that they stabbed and peel its skin away from its corpse, they too would feel a similar