Just not deep enough for Moby Dick

I've been reading Moby Dick lately. Every once in a while, there's a great "quotable" by Melville in there. (I should have written them down to give you a "for instance", but alas! I have not.) And there are spots where I feel, "heeey, this is pretty interesting!"

But I must confess that the book just doesn't involve me emotionally with any of the characters. Ishmael is likeable, but Ishmael/Melville goes off into these massive discourses on whaling that reads like a scientific journal. Give me the Cliff's Notes, please! Or Whaling for Dummies~! But spare me these 3- and 4-chapter tomes of technical slog!

And Starbuck, the first mate. For some reason, he abhors the quest that Captain Ahab has put before the crew. But why? Why such depths and harrowing of his soul over Ahab's choice of revenge on a whale? Starbuck's stated reason is, "It's just a dumb beast following his instincts; therefore, it's wrong to seek revenge on it."

I'm just trying to understand Starbuck a little better in his deep revulsion of the quest, so forgive me if this sounds a bit disjointed. I can understand Ahab a little bit better: "The whale bit off my leg; I'm gonna get you sucka!" Revenge, plain and simple. (I AM oversimplifying; Ahab comes off as a pretty complex guy.)

The one character I've really liked so far has been Queequeg, the Maori/New Zealand idolater! :) Now how does that sit with you all? That Melville puts his most sympathetic, likeable character as a pagan? What does that tell you about the author's personal beliefs? (That's another post in and of itself. One of these days I'll have a rant about Philip Pullman's trilogy "His Dark Materials" --especially since I hear it will be made into a movie. If there were EVER a anti-God series---MARKETED SPECIFICALLY TO 'tweens and teens--this is it. And I am not a knee-jerk censor or bookburner. But I digress.)

*calming breaths* I haven't gotten to the tragic end of Moby Dick yet (it's been a busy week and little time to relax and read), but I've come to the conclusion that I just don't have the depth of character necessary to appreciate this book as it has been hallowed over the recent years.

yes, I'm livin' life in the shallow end of the pool~!