"For what is man that he should live out the lifetime of his God?"
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Musing: This is the last of Father Mapple's sermon and more words that stick with me. These lines always remind me of a line from Robert Browning's amazing poem Andrea Del Sarto: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" Melville will demonstrate throughout Moby Dick that once we reach perfection, what then? What is left? How can we be greater than our God, Father Mapple asks? How can we exceed our dreams, Browning asks? It seems that desire - to succeed, to believe in God, to conquer, is a more powerful hope than completion could ever be. Things are getting deeper in Moby Dick!