#ALSO THIS IS THE ARTICLE THAT MENTIONS THE HOMOEROTIC TONES

[finchers-ipad]

MY 1999 ‘SIGHT AND SOUND’ MAGAZINE ARRIVED!!

[one-ishmael]

Chapter 10: A Bosom Friend

Now that we’ve got church out of the way, it’s time to get real chummy with some dudes just bein’ bros. Just a real couple o’ old pals, pallin’ around! That’s it and that’s all, certainly no subtext here, no sirree.

These next few chapters make an interesting counterpoint to the harsh, literally sermonizing tone of the last little run. It’s a nice change of pace.

SUMMARY: Ishmael gets back to the Spouter-Inn, and finds Queequeg examining a book at the dining room table, counting its pages in awe. Ishmael decides to become friends with Queequeg, and strikes up a conversation. Queequeg is very receptive, and quickly declares them married, and after a while they go on up to their room. Queequeg divides his money evenly, giving half to Ishmael, they then get in bed together and share their deepest secrets with one another, as married couples are wont to do.

So, I mentioned before, back in The Counterpane, that there are a few parts in Moby-Dick; or, the Whale that could be construed, by modern readers, as a bit homoerotic. Queequeg sleeping with his arm around Ishmael, sure, that’s a little gay, but this chapter, hoo boy, there’s really no other way to read it than a budding romance.

I mean, let’s take it point by point. First, Ishmael finds himself merely interested in this strange “savage” who he was forced to sleep with the night before. But as he gazes at him, he takes note of his handsomeness, the fine shape of his head. He delves into phrenology and says that “Queequeg was George Washington cannibalistically developed.“

Phrenology is a pseudoscientific theory from the 19th century that posited that the shape of the head indicated the shape of the brain, which, naturally, determined your personality. You could use some calipers to measure the lumps on a skull and tell if someone was a criminal, by the size of their Crime Organ. It’s pretty interesting, and all obvious hogwash, perfect material for the Sawbones podcast, one of my favorites, who have of course done an episode on it.

Let’s not beat around the bush, Ishmael is secretly checking out Queequeg while pretending to watch the storm outside, “Whilst I was thus closely scanning him, half-pretending meanwhile to be looking out at the storm from the casement.” He is enamored with the stoic personality of his bedfellow, the way he goes through life perfectly self-aware and ease with his own existence, warts and all. Even so very far from his homeland, among these people who must seem so strange to him, Queequeg never falters!

Also this passage, which I take as a personal attack on myself:

Surely this was a touch of fine philosophy; though no doubt he had never heard there was such a thing as that. But, perhaps, to be true philosophers, we mortals should not be conscious of so living or so striving. So soon as I hear that such or such a man gives himself out for a philosopher, I conclude that, like the dyspeptic old woman, he must have “broken his digester.”

And then, and he continues to stare longingly, we get this line

I began to be sensible of strange feelings. I felt a melting in me. No more my splintered heart and maddened hand were turned against the wolfish world.

Ishmael is just falling head over heels in love with Queequeg. He’s got a crush. There is simply no other way to read it, I’m sorry. Ishmael throws away all doubts relating to Queequeg’s origins, decides that since he hasn’t found any true kindness among his fellow christians, he’ll try being friends with a pagan.

There have been some hints and indications of it, but Ishmael is remarkably open-minded and tolerant for a man in the early 19th century. Indeed, after he finally works up the courage to start chatting with Queequeg and they share a smoke, get hitched, and go back to their room, Ishmael has no problem literally worshiping an idol with his best pal.

I really love the logic he uses for it:

I was a good Christian; born and bred in the bosom of the infallible Presbyterian Church. How then could I unite with this wild idolator in worshipping his piece of wood? But what is worship? thought I. Do you suppose now, Ishmael, that the magnanimous God of heaven and earth—pagans and all included—can possibly be jealous of an insignificant bit of black wood? Impossible! But what is worship?—to do the will of God—that is worship. And what is the will of God?—to do to my fellow man what I would have my fellow man to do to me—that is the will of God. Now, Queequeg is my fellow man. And what do I wish that this Queequeg would do to me? Why, unite with me in my particular Presbyterian form of worship. Consequently, I must then unite with him in his; ergo, I must turn idolator.

It’s hard to argue, frankly. A lot of the logic of religion is rooted in more ancient practices that are based in more polytheistic understandings of the world. You’re only supposed to worship your god because you’re on their team, essentially. But if you really believe that your god is the only real one, and all powerful, and all knowing, then why should they be so jealous of your worship? Would they really be so petty as to punish you for being kind to a friend?

Now, as the new married couple settle in to bed for the next chapter, I will entertain some argument about their status as clear and obvious homosexual lovers. There’s nothing explicit here, of course, and I hear you saying that friendship was different in those days.

Long, long ago, before modern society, there was a strange place called The Past, and they have strange habits and customs that look odd to our modern eyes. We may see some men hugging each other, being physically intimate, and think “goodness, how homoerotic!” But, in that time, it was simply more acceptable for men to express physical affection for one another with no sexual subtext whatsoever. They were, in fact, just dudes bein’ bros. Or companions being bosom chums, whatever the 19th century equivalent phrase is.

So what I am reading as something more than friendship was actually just that, and would have been understood to be that at the time.

But I say to you: Yes, things were different in the past, but that cuts both ways! You simply could not speak openly about these things, which were especially common among sailors. There is a famous saying, that the traditions of the Royal Navy amount to “rum, buggery, and the lash” (or something like that). Men cooped up together on a ship for months and months, it’s no surprise, frankly. And there’s no way that Melville, who was a sailor for his entire youth (even if he only went on one whaling voyage) would be naive to these facts.

The language employed in this chapter, I posit, frames this more as a crush and budding romance than anything else. If Melville intended a mere close friendship, he could have written it differently, and who cares what he intended anyway, he’s not around to argue. Interpretation is creative! I say: they’re gay, and make a good couple.

Ah, if this were a serious bit of writing, I would go track down some more sources to cite and whatnot, really develop a strong argument. But hey, I’m just havin’ fun here, not doin’ this for a grade. So you’ll just have to take my word for it.

Up next, The Nightgown, in which we get an intimate portrait of the young lovers in bed, and one of the most #relatable bits in the whole book!

Until next time, shipmates!

Image Credits:

First four from this article, last two from this one. All anonymous photos.

[jdumblr]

The Plan to Destroy Sam & Dean

Or how TPTB is (still) scared shitless of the J2 Chemistry

A few months ago, watching the recap of Season 12, I was reminded of STT, year 2012, and how OVA revealed the game behind Supernatural. By that time, I tweeted a thread that compared the Season Finale Recaps from Season 7 and Season 12. Not many people paid attention to it, many probably didn't even make the connection, I guess I was too subtle.

Last night I revisited my thread with caps from 5 years ago, and what do you know... It could as well have been written today.

Think about Season 12 and Season 13...

How they don't make any sense and how we have been screaming 

This is not Dean!

Sam who?

Who cares about Kelly?

Why is Mary back?

The Devil has a son, wtf?

Who cares about side characters?

Is Supernatural an ensamble show now?

The caps below are from the STT part I mentioned above. The first one is about the Season Finale recap for Season 7. Does it sound familiar?

Why are there so many side characters in a show about two brothers?

Do you think M*sha has been doing what he does all by himself? No. If TPTB really cared about the core of the show, the first time M had jumped on the shipping bandwagon, he would have been admonished and forced to quit. But what happens is the opposite as he is even encouraged to do more; anything to defuse the famous J2 chemistry. 

"It's better to be a cheat than gay"

On that same note, why do you think EVERYONE let the Js ROAST all by themselves, when that slandering "article" was posted and no one, but Mark, came to their defense? Well, I'm going to throw this in: that "rape joke" though it could happen to either gender, makes the casual fan, the het fan, immediately think about it being said to a woman, not to a man. Do you see a possible het credit reach? I do. "Oh, wait", you may say, "but that would be detrimental to the Js' reputations!" Well, let me remind you that when Jared and Sandy ended their bearding agreement, PR went nuts and (Spilo) spread rumors that Jared was a cheat, because "it's better to be a cheat than gay" in Hollywood. Therefore, it's better to have the Js as frowned upon womanizers than gay.

J2 are not producers, they have no say in it

If you for a second think that Jensen (and Jared as well) wouldn't bother to talk to the higher ups to change the ridiculous pandering to that nonexistent shipping, think again.

No storyline is set in stone

Do you really think that only because there is an outline for a season it is all set in stone? No, entire story arcs can change and be re-written if TPTB see fit. Even if half-way through a season where 17 of 23 episodes had already aired, and the entire plot had been in development since episode 1.

The pushing of the D*stiel Agenda

Remember how the ang*l was nothing but a side character and then, after Season 5 they started pushing the D*stiel agenda?

Higher ups order tampering down the heat

I won't even comment on it, I will just ask you to read the cap below. Several times.

Toning it down without breaking Sam & Dean

That was said in 2012. Now in 2017, we see they finally managed to normalize Sam & Dean, turning them into "just two brothers", without the homoerotic, icestuous undertones.

Then why not just send it all to hell and make SPN the D*stiel show? Because TPTB are not stupid, they know their cash cow are Sam & Dean and their chemistry. They know that when push comes to shove it's us, fans of the only canonic storyline, who have made this show last this long. Us and Jared and Jensen. And for that reason, they also know that if they push it too hard, the Js will walk. Thus, no Jared and Jensen, no Supernatural. 

"Just do it."

It's not really about the ratings

Talking to some friends about Dawn Ostroff (CW's former president, 2006—2011) and the Kripke Conundrum, they mentioned they suspect the CW might be a tax write off for WB and CBS—what could explain why shows with such low ratings as SPN are kept around. 

The erasure of Epic Love Stories

The 2012 chapter of STT was very appropriately named PR Coup D'Etat ("knockout blow to the existing administration within a state"), as they plotted, betrayed and overturned J2. It wasn't enough to erase The Epic Love Story Of Jared and Jensen, they also needed to erase The Epic Love Story Of Sam And Dean.