Conor Bruemmer
Moby Dick Research Project

Melville’s Shattered Visions of Anglo-American Relations

In Charlotte Lindgren’s journal, “Herman Melville and Atlantic Relations”, Melville’s anti-americanism and his love for Great Britain seems to have driven his creativity. From an early age, Melville apparently was strongly pro-British and proud of his Scottish ancestry. Forced to live in America,  Melville’s irritation of American culture eventually filtered into his writings. Found in “Moby Dick”, Lindgren formulates her debate based on Melville’s symbolism of American Whaling as profit- sharing system. By doing so, Melville illustrated the American democratic enterprise that eventually failed. Is it this a sadistic view of the American dream? Lindgren believes it is and she points the blame on Melville’s experiences in England.

Following his dreams to follow his father, Melville fantasized of visiting England and becoming a true tradesmen. However due to financial problems because of his father’s bankruptcy, Melville didn’t fulfill his dream until after his childhood.  The momentous event solidified Melville’s passion for the sea and his love for british culture.  Melville’s “Redburn” recounts the voyage.  Unfortunately, Melville soon returned to poverty back in America. But then again took the sea for refuge and money. Again highlighting another sadistic symbol of Melville having to leave America to find salvation. Lindgren also points attention to Melville’s implications with the Chartist movement in London as to highlight another connection Melville has with England.  Coming from poverty himself, Melville was instantly sympathetic to the mistreatment of poor workers in England.  Present in both “Redburn and “Mardi”, many of Melville’s stories later relied on his involvement with lower class English society.

Melville’s infatuation for foreign politics encouraged him to inform himself in Hawaiian affairs in 1842-43. Expectantly, he sided with the british who was represented by Lord George Paulet. In fact, when American press misrepresented Lord Paulet’s actions, Melville wrote a frank appendix in his novel “Typee”.  Even though Melville was later credited, Melville’s defence of English imperialism pushed many readers away. Even more so, his English bias pushed him away from his democratic family upon return from England.  

By 1849,  Melville was continuing to look abroad to stimulate his creativity and intellectual ability. In hopes to expedite the process, He created a writing and social club known as the “Knights of the Round Table.” Focusing on many different topics, Melville eventually found English theater and was soon keen on it. This lead him to visit London one last time in the early 1850’s. Later upon arrival in America, Melville soon found the inspiration to finished his most famous works, which included “Moby Dick”, “Pierre” and many more, because of his experience he had whilst in England.

If you directs the question to me, I believe Melville’s inspiration can not only be attributed to English culture and ideologies because Melville wasn't inspired by uniquely British problems and events. He was inspired by universal problems such as art and poverty which can be found throughout the world. In my opinion, the author didn’t really look into Melville’s poverty and maybe the fact he liked Britain was because it was the only other country that he visited on vacation. His travel opportunities were somewhat limited to his fishing labor and his wallet. Melville’s true inspiration could very well be found in his poor childhood and one way of demonstrating this may be his interest in the Chartist movement. Maybe his sympathy towards poor English people spurred from his own struggles. When it comes down to it, it seems that Lindgren was a little too bias towards English society because throughout the article, there is an underlying sense of English superiority over America.  

Source: Lindgren, Charlotte. "Herman Melville And Atlantic Relations." History Today 25.10 (1975): 663. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Jan. 2013.