It’s been over a month since my nephew drank himself to death. Whether or not it was an intentional act, we’ll never know. I can’t say that the pain is gone but yesterday I watched the movie The Whale while cleaning up after a family get together and this morning I woke up feeling freed from that awful doubt.
Spoiler Alert! Please stop reading here if you’re looking forward to seeing this movie and want the ending to be a surprise.
I didn’t know much about the plot, other than it was about an obese man. Were it a Disney flick, the obese man would be inspired by the love of a selfless woman to lose all that weight, take up jogging and live happily ever after. But, it’s not a Disney flick. And the whale the title refers to is not a grotesquely obese man. It’s this book:
The unabridged edition of Moby Dick or The Whale contains a whopping 135 chapters plus an Epilogue. Many of the chapters are considered extraneous blubber, unless, of course, you’re a Melville scholar. Even then, what meaning can even the most dedicated scholar extract from “Of the Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales and the True Pictures of Whaling Scenes” or “The Right Whale’s Head – Contrasted View”?
So why did Herman Melville write so many chapters that did not enhance his plot? It goes against all the writing advice I’ve ever received. In fact, the obese man teaches an online writing course in which he advises his students about proper paragraph structure and the need to constantly edit in order to clearly communicate their message. In other words, how not to fill their compositions with useless blubber.
Then, thanks to his daughter’s eighth grade essay, he has a revelation. I won’t give it away in case you do decide to watch the movie. Would I recommend it? Yikes. It helped me realize that people who do anything to excess are trying to fill a void that can’t be filled by stuff. But otherwise, it’s an unsettling way to spend an afternoon. Good acting though.
Saying nothing in particular 
Very sorry to hear about your nephew.
I think the point of The Whale is it’s okay to fill pages of your life with blubber – you can’t stream line a life into a concise plot.
Is this the same ‘The Whale ‘ movie with Brendan Fraser?
I am also very sorry to hear about your Nephew.
Thank you. Yes – it is.
I purposely didn’t keep reading after the sunflower because I plan on watching The Whale soon. It sounds like a powerful movie and if it eased your sorrow for your nephew I’m glad. Sounds like just what I need as well…
❤️
The movie helped me understand that sometimes people have voids in their lives that no amount of love can fill. I guess that would be the nature of obsession thus the reference to Moby Dick.
So very sorry, JT, for your loss. 💔
Thank you.
You are so very welcome…and I wanted to add, but it felt inconsequential, given the loss you’ve experienced, that I appreciated your thoughts about “The Whale”. I’ve been tempted to watch it, but I’ve had a foreboding feeling that I couldn’t put my finger on, and I’ve avoided reading about it because I figured I’d get a nudge to watch it at some point. You did just that for me this morning. Thanks, JT. Big hugs. 🥰
Really sorry to hear that, Jan. I hope the movie did help in a way.
Hi Jan, I am really sorry for your loss in this horrible circumstances. I’m glad this movie helped you find closure. Hugs.
There’s always a lot of guilt – did we do enough? What did we do wrong? But people who drink or eat too much are not trying to damage themselves – they’re trying to fill a void. At least that was my take away. Thanks for the hugs!
Jan,
I suppose communicating our deepest, complex thoughts to another is one of the high points of human evolution. Yet, it is so very difficult and more than often there is only silence and aloneness. Failure to communicate is our wont, social isolates that we are. Duke
In the end the obese guy realizes that what he’s been teaching his students about communication is hogwash and that what his daughter wrote as a child makes more sense than anything else. Of course, what she wrote is that Melville was a bullshit artist!
I’m sorry to learn about your nephew. My condolences. I know of the movie you watched but you’re the only person I know who has seen it. I’m torn about it, as it seems more somber than what I usually enjoy.
It’s a very grim movie. I was interested in the Moby Dick connection which is what propelled me to finish watching. However, many critics also found the ending too bizarre.
Sorry about your nephew. Yes, it sounds like there is something to be learned from “The Whale”. Although, I’m not rushing to watch it.
I had a cousin who drank himself to death…in a way.
He was the last drunk left in the bar when it closed. The people who worked there saw him out the front door, then went out the back way to the parking lot.
In the morning he was found frozen to death in a snow bank just outside the door to the bar.
The pain fades. Questions linger.
I don’t think anybody purposely wants to be a drunk or obese -they’re just trying to fill a void. It does seem like the bar could have handled things a little differently. So sorry about your cousin.
I agree.
Yeah… he was 1/2 of twins.
The other twin is so different. I think that’s unusual.