"How it is that we still refuse to be comforted for those who we nevertheless maintain are dwelling in unspeakable bliss; why do all the living so strive to hush all the dead; wherefore but the rumor of a knocking in a tomb will terrify a whole city. All these things are not without their meanings."
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Musings: This part of Moby Dick terrifies me because it resonates. Why aren't we happier for people who go to a "better place" if we truly believe there is a "better place?" The line about "hushing the dead" is so amazing too. It's true. I do not believe in ghosts, but I am frightened that they might exist and I don't want them around me. Ishamel gets deep in the Chapel. But these are questions that ring out throughout the novel.