Federico's Precis Assignment

Federico Montemayor

Mr. Fassi

English 12

1/22/13



Martin, Robert. "Sleeping With A Savage: Deculturation In Moby-Dick." Atq 5.3 (1991): 195. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.

Robert Martin explains about the 19th century’s same sex relationship and how Melville helps us understand Queequeg’s and Ishamel’s relationship during the 19th century with the ideology from that era. Robert Martin focuses on the culture and the southern writing. He uses some modern writers from the U.S and Europe to describe the concept of homosexuality that Melville tried to argue. He used references from these writers because at the time Melville was writing about the term homosexuality, a term that did not exist during the 19th century. In order to understand Melville’s ideas about homosexuality you need to be familiar with the cultural views of the theme and the reaction to a homosexual situation back in the 19th century.

Robert Martin uses Leslie Fielder 1900’s American literature critic to argue that Queequeg and Ishmael have an innocent relationship. Robert brings this up from Leslie’s book called “Love and Death in the American Novel” the book is about adult sexuality and the pathologically obsession with death. According with Robert, Leslie defines “innocence” as “Platonism[1] without sodomy” (article pg.1). Robert describes that Ishmael’s mood, during the confrontation with Queequeg, was full of terror. According to Robert, Melville was trying to show the sexual terror as the result of “cultural condition, to deconstruct the reader’s concept of the ‘natural’ and the ‘moral’.” Robert argument communicate me that in order to understand Melville’s “cultural condition” you must reconstruct the normal cultural view of things to understand Melville’s writing so he emphasizes Ishmael’s mood so the reader can acknowledge the satirical tone that Melville is trying to convey. Therefore, Melville introduces this new idea in a way we can easily accept.

Robert Martin proves that Melville’s experience with his first book the Typee brought him the idea of “deculturation.” The trip to the Marque gave him an idea, Melville’s sense of culture from America’s “imperialism” and “proselytism” will be used to introduce a new idea with his writing. So Robert Martin argues that Melville has seen what America can do to change people. However, Melville will use the power of his language to do the same and create a new experience so people could learn from it.

Robert focuses on the first chapters before and after Ishmael met Queequeg because is when these two characters meet in develop their relationship. But Melville has very subtle techniques to communicate sexual innuendos especially homosexual hints. For example Robert points out the hotels that Ishmael encounters. Ishmael rejects two hotels before he goes into the one that he meet Queequeg. These two are called “The Crossed Harpoons” and “The Sword-Fish” I don’t know but with my experience after reading chapter 94 “A Squeeze of the Hand” I feel that Melville is trying to hint us that these hotels are there to suggest homosexuality. But Then Ishmael stops in the one that is called, “The Spouter[2]-Inn.” I think Melville is trying to tell us something. I think he was very advanced on these ideas for the 1800’s. Robert Martin proves that that Ishmael’s fear of “the trap” or the church symbolizes the authority of Christianity being against sexuality and races.

Robert Martin argues about the relationship of Ishmael and Queequeg. His main point was to prove how this relationship was shocking back in the 19th century with United States being against homosexuality and black people rights. Melville’s clever writing made me conclude that people did not even noticed this kind of themes because there was no word such as homosexuality back in the 19th century. Robert gives many examples of how Melville takes his new ideas from the trip to Marques and used them for his writing. Robert also proves that in order to understand Melville’s ideas you need to know about the cultural view of man to man relationship and how people treated this kind of situations from the 19th century. I think that Robert has pointed out very good themes in Melville’s writing that is very revolutionizing for the era. This theme is still being used in the 21st century.




[1] The philosophy of Plato stressing especially that actual things are copies of transcendent ideas and that these ideas are the objects of true knowledge apprehended by reminiscence (http://www.merriam-webster.com).


[2] to emit or discharge forcibly (a liquid, granulated substance, etc.) in a stream or jet.( dictionary.reference.com)