Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish

Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish is the 89th chapter of Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick.[1] In this chapter Melville describes the concept of "fast-fish" and "loose-fish" in whaling and refers to an old court case between the crews of two whaling ships. This chapter has been taught as one of the book's main themes in various classroom settings and the term has been used to describe similar situations outside of the whaling world that the book describes.[2][3] The chapter is particularly highlighted in several law school classrooms as an example of property law and has also been used to generally refer to legal ownership of any type of property,[4][5] including literary works.[6]

Background

In the chapter Ishmael discusses the legal concept of marking whales in a manner as to show a visible claim on the whale, regardless of it being living or dead. If a ship's crew manages to attach a marker or insert something that belongs to the ship like harpoons, brands, or rope, that will mark the whale as a "fast-fish". Once marked, the whale is considered to be the rightful property of the crew and other whaling ships are expected to respect this mark. If a whale is not marked, it is thus dubbed a "loose-fish" and considered to be fair game for any crew that comes across the creature. Ishmael also describes a previous court case from the last 50 years where a whaling crew managed to catch a whale but was forced to abandon both the whale and the ship due to life-threatening conditions stemming from the whale itself. Shortly after they left the ship, another crew captured the whale and claimed the ship as salvage, prompting the first crew to take them to court. The judge found in favor of the second crew, determining that as the ship was abandoned, the crew gave up all property rights to the whale and ship. Ishmael views the decision as just, as the world as a whole favors the strong over the weak.[7][8]

Theme

The theme that was brought up in this chapter is the idea that this world supports those who are strong. With their strength they have the right and ability to take anything that they want. For example, the first crew wasn't strong enough to withstand the storm and ended up abandoning their ship. Therefore, they no longer have any ownership over the whale and boat. The second crew was probably stronger and able to withstand the storm. Therefore, they have the right to claim the abandoned whale and boat. The judge (who represents the law in society) ruled in favor of the stronger crew as well, thus supporting the idea that stronger people are supported by society.

In other media

The theme of "loose-fish" and "fast-fish" was explored in a 2006 short story by Christine Lehner, entitled No, I am not a loose-fish and neither are you.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Noah, Harold J. (October 1974). "Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish in Comparative Education". Comparative Education Review 18 (3): 341–347. doi:10.1086/445790. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  2. ↑ Lamb, Robert Paul (2005). "Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish: Teaching Melville's Moby-Dick in the College Classroom". College Literature 32 (1): 42–62. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Corey-Gruenes, Jeremy (September 28, 2012). "Are you a fast-fish or are you a loose-fish?". Albert Lea Tribune. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Callies, David L.; Hylton, J. Gordon (2012). Concise Introduction to Property Law. LexisNexis. ISBN 9780327174363. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Piety, Tamara R. "SOMETHING FISHY: OR WHY I MAKE MY STUDENTS READ FAST-FISH AND LOOSE-FISH" (PDF). Vermont Law Review 29 (33): 33–50. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Hansen, Anne Mette (2006). The Book as Artefact, Text and Border. Rodopi. pp. 264–266. ISBN 9789042018884. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Melville, H., & Tanner, T. (1998). Chapter 89 - Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish. In Moby Dick. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  8. ↑ Pardes, Ilana (2008). Melville's Bibles. University of California Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780520941526. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  9. ↑ Lehner, Christine (Summer 2006). "No, I am not a loose-fish and neither are you". Southwest Review 91 (3): 366–386. Retrieved 13 December 2014.