Continuing my snapshot reviews of the novels of Herman Melville (today #5-7).
#7. The Confidence-Man (1857). This was the final novel published in Melville's lifetime. It is series of interlocking stories about a shadowy figure, the confidence-man, who meets various passengers on the Mississippi steamboat Fidele in a number of disguises. The novel takes place on April Fools Day, which is the backdrop to the whole masquerade. The passengers confront their perceptions of who they are, with what they are really prepared to do. Morality becomes fluid. Greed dominates. And the question become who do you trust? And can you trust yourself?
This book tackles great themes. It has rich metaphors, and its use of the river as a backdrop is perfect. The main problem with this book is that it is confusing. It is book that was better the second time I read it. With each reading the characters tie together much better, and the identity of the confidence-man becomes clearer. The Confidence-Man rises in my estimation each time I read it, so its position here in my rankings is subject to change.
#6. White-Jacket (1850). Melville's story based on his time aboard a frigate in the United States Navy. Melville had been rescued by the frigate USS United States, and became a novice sailor on board as a way to get back to America. There is little narrative continuity in this novel, as it is more a series of scenes in the life of a naval crew. These scenes are interspersed with historical and informative chapters about certain aspects of naval life. It was not a ringing endorsement of American naval policy, and served as the rallying cry for the abolition of flogging as a punishment aboard ships. Perhaps more interesting as a historical novel, than as a narrative, it contains compelling characters like Jack Chase and Captain Claret, who embody the best and worst of naval officers.
#5. Pierre (1852). Melville's most controversial novel, and the one that I have the most difficulty ranking. There I days I marvel at the daring nature of the story. And there are days that the story itself is so repugnant and depressing that I cannot bear to think about it. To describe its narrative would give much of the story away, but at its core it is a story that bursts the bubble of middle-class bourgeois morality. Pierre Glendinning is the young protagonist, with a respectable, easy life. But it all comes crashing down as he attempts to protect his mother and his late father's memory. Pierre's desire is to do the right thing, but he ends up subverting the very social code he has lived by.
This is Melville's most personal novel. Pierre is in many ways a proxy for the author himself. In his attempts to live up to his family history, Pierre echoes Melville who escaped his own by going to sea. The shadow of Pierre's ancestors covers the whole story. This is the second novel which deals with Melville and his relationship to his father. Pierre's father is the source of his pride in the beginning and the source of his downfall in the end.
Pierre is also a writer in this story, and his failed attempt at writing gives a picture of Melville in this time. Pierre was Melville's seventh novel in six years, and the ones in which he was most invested were the ones derided and scorned by the critics and public. Melville wanted to move away from sailor stories to more philosophical novels, but did not achieve the success he desired (or thought he deserved.) Pierre would continue that scorn. This is Melville at his most modern, however, seeking to destroy the idols that the mid 19th century middle class lived by. Hard-hitting. Poignant. Heart-breaking. These are the words that describe Pierre.
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