The name "Moby-Dick" is thought to be derived from "Mocha Dick," the
nickname of an actual white whale of whom tales were told in
Melville's heyday. Exactly how "Mocha" turned into "Moby" is not
known, but it is speculated that Melville may have changed the name as
a tribute to his friend, Richard ("Dick") Tobias ("Toby") Greene.
"It is known that there was a real-life albino sperm whale, known as
Mocha Dick, that lived near the island of Mocha several decades before
Melville wrote his book. Mocha Dick, like Moby Dick in Melville's
story, had escaped countless times from the attacks of whalers (and
consequently had dozens of harpoons in his back), who he would often
attack with premeditated ferocity. Mocha Dick was eventually killed in
the 1830s. No one knows what prompted Melville to change the name
'Mocha' to 'Moby,' but given that Mocha Dick was an albino sperm
whale, it is obvious that Melville used him as a basis for his book."
Wikipedia: Moby-Dick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby_Dick
"Melville was also influenced by stories whalemen told about a
ferocious white whale. Twelve years before Moby-Dick, a U.S. naval
officer wrote an article, 'Mocha Dick: The White Whale of the
Pacific,' in which he described a great whale that was 'white as
wool.' When the Mocha Dick of this tale was captured, the crew found
twenty harpoons in his body from previous attempts to kill him."
New Bedford Whaling Museum: Herman Melville?s Moby-Dick
http://www.whalingmuseum.org/kendall/amwhale/am_mobydick.html
"The name of Melville's most famous creation was suggested by an
article by Jeremiah Reynolds, published in the New York Knickerbocker
Magazine in May 1839. Mocha Dick: or The White Whale of the Pacific
recounted the capture of a giant white sperm whale that had become
infamous among whalers for its violent attacks on ships and their
crews. The meaning of the name itself is quite simple: the whale was
often sighted in the vicinity of the island of Mocha, and 'Dick' was
merely a generic name like 'Jack' or 'Tom' -- names of other deadly
whales cited by Melville in Chapter 45 of Moby-Dick...
The transformation of 'Mocha' to 'Moby', however, presents a greater
mystery. Melville himself never explained the origin of the latter
word. Did he invent it on a whim and like the way it sounded? Or is it
some strange piece of hermetic Melvillean arcana? The answer will
probably never be known, but a number of scholars have amused
themselves by taking shots at it. Following as an example is a
conjecture put forth by Harold Beaver in his 'Commentary' on the
Penguin Classics edition of Moby-Dick (1972):
'By July 1846 even the Knickerbocker Magazine had forgotten its
earlier version [of Reynold's article], reminding its readers of 'the
sketch of Mocha Dick, of the Pacific, published in the Knickerbocker
many years ago...'. That account may well have led Melville to look up
the earlier issue, in the very month he rediscovered his lost buddy of
the Acushnet and fellow deserter on the Marquesas, Richard Tobias
Greene, and began 'The Story of Toby' [the sequel to Typee]. May not
'Toby Dick' then have elided with 'Mocha Dick' to form that one
euphonious compound, 'Moby Dick'?"
Life and Works of Herman Melville: Origin of the Name "Moby Dick"
http://www.melville.org/mobyname.htm
Here you'll find the Knickerbocker Magazine article mentioned above:
Mocha Dick: Or The White Whale of the Pacific
http://www.melville.org/reynolds.htm
"But why did Melville change the name? No one knows the real reason,
so there's only speculation. Could it have been to honor his friend
Richard Tobias Greene? Melville's TYPEE (1846) was rejected by Harper
& Brothers as too fantastic to be believed. When published, there were
similar comments. So Greene wrote a letter to Buffalo's COMMERCIAL
ADVERTISER to confirm that he was the 'Toby' of the book. And here one
can give the speculation an even more revealing backward twist:
Richard Tobias was, in fact, Dick Toby. Or...Toby Dick. Here's Toby
Dick's letter:
'The Evangelist speaks rather disparagingly of the book as being too
romantic to be true, and as being too severe on the missionaries. But
to my object: I am the true and veritable Toby, yet living, and I am
happy to testify to the entire accuracy of the work so long as I was
with Melville, who makes me figure so largely in it...'
--Richard Tobias Greene
Buffalo, New York Commercial Advertiser
July 1 1846"
Amber Sky Entertainment: Thar She Blows
http://www.amber-sky.com/prefuse/prefuse25.html
My Google search strategy:
Google Web Search: "the name moby dick"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22the+name+moby+dick
Google Web Search: "moby dick" mocha
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22moby+dick%22+mocha
Thanks for a truly interesting question! I hope this is helpful. If
anything is unclear or incomplete, please request clarification; I'll
be glad to offer further assistance before you rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
