The Other

Have any of you ever seen the TV show, Lost?

For those of you that have, bear with me while I quickly summarize part of the show to those who haven't:

Lost is a show about a plane crash where the surviving passengers are stranded on a very mysterious island. While they're on the island they soon discover that they are not alone. The island is inhabited by the Others - people that have wild and ferocious exteriors and have mannerisms that resemble savages. By the end of the show we meet and learn more about the Others and how a lot of them are good people that center their lives around a spiritual foundation, trying to survive.

To me, Queequeg is an Other.

Queequeg!

In class today we talked about how Queequeg essentially embodies the new age. He is the character that is different and foreign to the others. He's not the mainstream sailor boy. He is feared by many and catches the attention of passerby's. He doesn't fit the conventional American sailor like many of them do. He's of different race, different status, different religion... heck, he even enjoys sharing a bed with complete strangers! Despite these things, we soon unearth that he is perhaps, more civilized than the other characters on board the ship (minus the cannibalism thing).

Ishmael, anyone?

I thought of how Queequeg's character could possibly relate to the digital culture and this is what continued to play in my head: I think we often judge each other too quickly based off of what we see on a Facebook page or twitter posts or even the lack of a Facebook page (like me!). We instantaneously create for others their backstories and character traits, level of kindness, level of spirituality, and then we compare it all to ourselves, where we then suddenly have a newly justified dislike for a person. This all happens through one quick viewing of someone's social media corner. Where are the morals in that?? I can't find them. We're taught to exercise good judgment - righteous judgment - to keep ourselves safe from harmful people and situations. Oftentimes we get caught up in that dutiful task, that we become overly-judgmental and that righteous judgment turns into self-righteous judgment. I can see this happening in Ishmael in regards to Queequeg.

Over time though, we see Ishmael gradually tolerate Queequeg and that tolerance then becomes friendship and sincere care. The whole progression of their relationship is similar to a relationship founded in digital culture. We come across someone who at first glance, may not be the most inviting (or sane) looking person, but as you allow yourself to understand them more, rather than trying to get them to understand you, then your relationship deepens and you have formed a strong bond. Just like that of Ishmael and Queequeg.

So what's the lesson here? Judge less and snuggle with strangers more? Maybe not. But Melville is using the contrast between Ishmael and Queequeg to captivate the spiritual differences in conventionalism versus radicalism in Christian and pagan beliefs.