“Circumambulate the City of a Dreamy Sabbath Afternoon”: A Hilarious Scholarly Essay on Moby-Dick’s Twelfth Sentence
Adventures in Moby Dick.
“Circumambulate the City of a Dreamy Sabbath Afternoon”: A Hilarious Scholarly Essay on Moby-Dick’s Twelfth Sentence
"Circumambulate the city of a dreamy Sabbath afternoon."
With this invitation, Herman Melville doesn’t just ask us to walk Manhattan’s streets; he beckons us into a reverie, a haze of drifting thoughts and existential musings amid the city’s chaos. But let’s not be fooled by the poetic beauty of the phrase. The act of circumambulation—a fancy word for walking in circles—becomes a perfect metaphor for the surreal, disassociated experience of wandering through a bustling metropolis. If you’ve ever strolled through Manhattan on a dreamy afternoon, you’ll know exactly what Ishmael means: it’s beautiful, bewildering, and vaguely unsettling.
Let us lace up our metaphysical sneakers and explore how this dreamy Sabbath walk captures the absurdities of urban chaos, the disassociation it provokes, and the sheer hilarity of thinking you’ll find meaning while dodging horse-drawn carriages, aggressive street vendors, and overly ambitious pigeons.
Dreamy Sabbaths: A Metropolis in Suspension
A “dreamy Sabbath afternoon” suggests a day of calm and reflection, a time when the city takes a collective breath. But let’s be honest—Manhattan has never really known how to relax. Even on its dreamiest Sabbath, it’s more of a fever dream than a tranquil nap.
The Illusion of Calm: Ishmael’s dreamy Sabbath is probably interrupted by the clang of distant church bells, the shouts of fishmongers, and the occasional child chasing a rogue hat. The city may slow down, but it never stops.
Dreams and Distractions: The phrase “dreamy Sabbath” evokes a sense of drifting—a day where the city’s chaos feels slightly muted, leaving room for wandering thoughts. But these thoughts are constantly interrupted by the metropolis itself, a place where even pigeons seem to have agendas.
Circumambulation: Walking in Circles, Thinking in Spirals
To “circumambulate” is to walk around something in a circle, often for ritual or reflective purposes. But in Manhattan, where the streets are a chaotic grid of activity, circumambulation becomes an exercise in futility.
The Circular Logic of City Walks: Ishmael’s use of “circumambulate” suggests that he’s not walking with a purpose—he’s just going in circles, both physically and mentally. This is the quintessential New York City experience: setting out with a vague destination in mind and ending up somewhere entirely different, slightly sweaty, and deeply confused.
Wandering into Disassociation: Walking aimlessly through Manhattan is disorienting. The sheer volume of stimuli—the noise, the smells, the endless stream of humanity—can make you feel like you’re floating through someone else’s dream.
The Chaos of the Metropolis: A Study in Beautiful Nonsense
Manhattan on a dreamy Sabbath is both enchanting and absurd. It’s a place where lofty thoughts meet mundane interruptions, and where the sublime beauty of the skyline is often overshadowed by a man yelling about bagels.
The Symphony of Chaos: Melville captures the paradox of Manhattan: a city that’s both inspiring and overwhelming. Walking its streets, you might glimpse a poetic moment—a shaft of sunlight piercing through buildings—before tripping over a dog leash.
Disassociated Wanderers: The dreamy Sabbath walk often leaves you questioning your very existence. Are you part of the city, or just a spectator? Are you walking to get somewhere, or simply to avoid thinking about your unpaid rent?
Walking as Existential Comedy
Melville’s description of circumambulation captures the hilarity of walking for the sake of walking. There’s a certain absurdity in pretending you’re “exploring the city” when, really, you’re just pacing around trying not to bump into someone holding a tray of chestnuts.
The Drama of Overthinking: As you walk, the city becomes a stage for existential musings. You ponder the meaning of life while a street performer plays the kazoo. You wonder about humanity’s place in the universe while stepping over a puddle that definitely wasn’t water.
A Ritual Without Purpose: Circumambulation, at its core, is a ritual. In Manhattan, the ritual involves dodging traffic, ignoring unsolicited fliers, and pretending you know where you’re going when you definitely don’t.
Dreamy but Disconnected: The Psychology of Urban Wandering
Walking through Manhattan on a dreamy Sabbath creates a strange mix of connection and alienation. You’re surrounded by people, yet you feel oddly alone.
The Dreamlike State: The sheer density of stimuli creates a sense of unreality. The city becomes a dreamscape where time and space lose their usual meanings. Did you walk one block or ten? Are you in the Financial District or the Theater District? Who knows?
Disassociation by Design: The chaos of the city makes it impossible to stay fully grounded. Every honking cab or shouting vendor pulls you out of your thoughts, leaving you in a state of perpetual distraction.
Manhattan as a Metaphor for the Universe
Melville’s dreamy Sabbath walk isn’t just about Manhattan—it’s a metaphor for life itself. The city, with its chaos and contradictions, mirrors the absurdity of existence.
An Overwhelming Wholeness: Just as Manhattan is impossible to fully grasp, so is life. Both are sprawling, chaotic systems that leave you wondering what it all means.
A Ritual of Searching: Circumambulating the city becomes a stand-in for humanity’s endless search for meaning. We walk, we think, we wonder—and sometimes, we buy a pretzel.
Conclusion: Dreamy Walks and Urban Absurdity
Melville’s twelfth sentence in Moby-Dick captures the absurd, poetic beauty of wandering through Manhattan on a dreamy Sabbath afternoon. It’s a city where lofty thoughts and mundane interruptions collide, leaving you both inspired and hilariously disoriented.
So, the next time you find yourself circumambulating Manhattan—or any city—embrace the chaos. Get lost, overthink everything, and let the pigeons guide you. Because, as Melville so beautifully suggests, sometimes the best way to understand the universe is to walk in circles and let the dream take over.