Not P but Moby-Dick (12)

[Mike Jing]

Thanks, Ian and Mark.


On Sat, Sep 23, 2023 at 1:10 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> dictionary literally says "the interweaving of strands" of rope.....pretty
> solid togetherness....
>
> On Sat, Sep 23, 2023 at 1:04 PM Ian Livingston <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I think you are correct to regard it as solemn commitment among the crew,
>> in this symbolic use. When lines, e.g., ropes, for instance, are skillfully
>> spliced, the splice may stronger than the individual cords. I’ve partaken
>> in the process of splicing long, load-bearing 2.5 inch diameter cables in
>> industrial use. The splicing itself requires the cooperation of all the
>> hands (i.e., workers) of the crew. The work I was involved in at the time
>> was logging timber in mountainous terrain, which may be seen as a
>> descendant of the shipwright’s skill set.
>>
>> So I suggest interpreting Ahab’s call to “splice hands” as a call to
>> commit to a sustained cooperative effort. In other words, yeah, a strong
>> oath.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Sep 23, 2023, at 8:38 AM, Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > The following excerpt is from Chapter 36:
>> >
>> > Then tossing both arms, with measureless imprecations he shouted out:
>> “Aye,
>> > aye! and I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round
>> the
>> > Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up. And
>> > this is what ye have shipped for, men! to chase that white whale on both
>> > sides of land, and over all sides of earth, till he spouts black blood
>> and
>> > rolls fin out. What say ye, men, will ye splice hands on it, now? I
>> think
>> > ye do look brave.”
>> >
>> > What exactly does "splice hands" entail here? Does it involve an oath of
>> > some kind, or is it less than that?
>> > --
>> > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>> --
>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>
>