Summary Of In The Heart Of The Sea

On August 12, 1819, the whaleship Essex set sail for the fertile whale hunting grounds in the Pacific Ocean. Little did the crew of the ship know that many of them would not return. In fact, the ship did not return. The book In the Heart of the Sea written by Nathaniel Philbrick recounts the actual events of the Essex. The ship was having a bit of tough luck amongst the sea, between squalls and elusive whales, but what impacted them the most happend about in the middle of the ocean. The Essex was sunk on November 20, 1820, when a large bull whale dealt the blow. The ship was devastated, the hull was struck, and a large gash in the boat led to its sinking. After salvaging what little supplies they could, they quickly lost hope. The story told
After being set upon different paths, the survivors eventually were nursed back to health by the kindness of those sailors and thoughtful crewmembers who rescued them. Eventually, those few that lived to tell the tale make their way back to Nantucket and almost all of them return back to the sea. Unfortunately, the side effects of being lost in the sea lingered with the survivors. Captain George Pollard would stash fruits and vegetables in netting above his bunk in his cabin and the First Mate, Owen Chase, would stash food in his attic. Chase was later declared mentally insane in his old age, and rumors of Captain Pollard refusing to accept his fate after the lots were drawn, and let his nephew take his place as both sacrifice and savior.This placed the mantle of coward upon Pollard, even though the rumors weren’t true. Not one man escaped without having the least bit of ridicule thrown upon him since they partook in the act of cannibalism. Those who choose to eat the flesh show readers that no matter how harsh the consequence, survival is key. This book shows how people must be prepared to do anything in order to