By Marianna Torgovnick
It’s the story that inspired Moby Dick.
In 1819, the crewmembers of the whaleship Essex watched in horror as their boat was struck by a sperm whale and began to flood. Forced into small boats with little food or water, they had three options: they could head to the nearest land, the Marquesas Islands, believed to be populated by cannibals; they could make a run for Hawaii and pray to escape the massive storms of the season; or they could attempt to catch a current to take them 1,500 miles to the coast of South America and risk running out of supplies on the way.
Interesting and well-thought discussion on the topic of fear within literature and how it applies to our lives and the world around us.
