eyerush

"Towards thee I roll, thou all destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!"

I finally licked that fucker. I've been putting down and picking up Moby Dick for about a year. I've been re-reading chapters, looking up words, making notes because I don't just want to go over the words with my eyes, I want to understand what is so special about, what some consider, one of the greatest books written.
Did it work? I guess. There are still somethings I need to think about but the whole end of the book was a symbol of the actual read itself. I was wondering if I was struggling and toiling with this damned book the same way poor Ahab was with the whale and I was afraid that at the end, it would be as fruitless as his struggle.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. I had a love hate relationship with it. There are passages underlined in my copy which explain my life more than anything I've read before. Did I need intervening chapters of technical whaling jargon dispersed between the story body? Maybe not. Do they have some meaning I completely missed? I don't know. I'll have to look into it. (This damned book just won't let me go, will it?)
All in all, I'm glad I read it. It was my mountain to climb. It was a challenge I set and I made it sort of. Now I just need to find out if I can take anyting from it. The book did move me enough affect me. It's been in my thoughts for months. I enjoyed the read and in the end, I'd do it all again if I had to.

Next up: Celine's "Journey to the End of the Night"