Saturday, November 11, 2023

The Captain of the Polestar

 

Book: The Captain of the Polestar
Basic Information : Synopsis : Characters : Expectations : Thoughts : Evaluation : Book Group : New Words  : Good Quotes : Table of Contents : References

Basic Information:

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Edition: epub from Gutenberg

Publisher: Kessinger Publishing

ISBN: 9781419155918 (ISBN10: 1419155911)

Start Date: November 9, 2023

Read Date: November 11, 2023

30 pages

Genre:  Fiction, Short Stories, Book Group

Language Warning:  None

Rated Overall: 3  out of 5


Fiction-Tells a good story: 4 out of 5

Fiction-Character development: 3 out of 5



Synopsis (Caution: Spoiler Alert-Jump to Thoughts):
The Polestar is a whaling ship in the Artic. Its captain is a heroic character, but disturbed. As you read the story, you get glimpses of why he is disturbed and why he eventually will die.
 
See the blog page on Doings of Doyle for a better summary.


Cast of Characters:
  • Captain Nicholas Craigie-Captain of the Polestar. He has told me several times that the thought of death was a pleasant one to him, which is a sad thing for a young man to say; he cannot be much more than thirty, …
  • John M’Alister Ray-Student of medicine, ship’s doctor. He is engaged to be married
  • Mr. Manson-Second mate
  • John M‘Leod-harpooner
  • Mr. Milne-Chief Mate
  • Sandie M’Donald of Peterhead-
  • Peter Williamson of Shetland-
  • Dr. John M’Alister Ray-father of the narrator


Expectations:
  • Recommendation: Book Group-Peter
  • When: July 2023
  • Why do I want to read this book: A short story and billed as a ghost story.

Thoughts:

Note that the book’s full title is The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales. My book group is reading only about the Polestar, not the other tales. Maybe when I have the time, I will read the other tales.




The Captain of the "Pole-Star"

There is a blog page on Doings of Doyle which gives lots of background to this story. Such as:

  • Doyle had been a ship surgeon on a whaler
  • Other Doyle ghost stories
  • Connections on Doyle’s spiritualism
  • Henry Slade-mentioned in the book


This story is told through the eyes of the ship’s doctor and probably as near a confidant that the Captain has. Not that the Captain shares very much with the doctor.


The scene is the Polestar is a whaling ship up near the Arctic Circle. It is getting late in the season and the men want to return back to their home port. But the Captain wants to remain out a little longer to catch a school of whales he knows is out there. But there is more to the Captain’s decision to stay. As he told the Doctor, for I have more to bind me to the other world than to this one. When the doctor shows a picture of his fiancee to the Captain, the Captain gets upset.


But a couple of factors have spooked the crew, such as a mysterious white figure on the ice flow which disappears, a screeching sound, and the general feelings of something wandering around or following them.


There is a danger when people follow a person who has no reason to live. Mr. Milne thinks that he has devoted himself to whaling simply for the reason that it is the most dangerous occupation which he could select, and that he courts death in every possible manner. It not only puts the leader in danger, but everyone who the leader is responsible for. The doctor comes to the conclusion that they are commanded by a madman.


The path to escape is closing up with each succeeding day till the way is blocked. Provisions are running scarce and rations are cut in half. The Captain gives a speech which enlivens the men: If you have to thank me for the one you have to thank me for the other, and we may call it quits. We’ve tried a bold venture before this and succeeded, so now that we’ve tried one and failed we’ve no cause to cry out about it


The Captain also sees the white figure fleeing from the ship’s area. The Captain seems to be in a better mood.


The Captain is a very private person. Nobody goes into his cabin. But one day he asks the doctor to go into his room. The doctor finds a picture of a young woman. The Captain is an intelligent man. The doctor found him a challenge intellectually: I hate to have my intellectual toes trod upon.


It it would be as logical to brand Christianity as an error because Judas, who professed that religion, was a villain. The Captain noted this in reference to the doctor making a remark about the imposters within spiritualism. But I think that this is also true of Christianity. This reminds me of GK Chesterton’s line: The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried. We should not judge Christianity because of people failing at it and even more so the spectacular failures, but by what it wants to be.


Then how do we judge the trueness of a religion or a philosophy if it is not by its followers? As a Christian, it is how the belief lines up with what the Bible has lead us. But then how do we know that that Bible is a good reference point? This can get circular pretty fast. I think at some point it becomes “does the trueness align with what you know of truth?”


When dealing with such uncertain factors [waiting for the ice to break up] as wind and ice a man can be nothing else. This must strike Americans as intolerable as we want to take charge and create our own way. Perhaps it was the wind and sand of the Arabian deserts which gave the minds of the original followers of Mahomet their tendency to bow to kismet. [destiny; fate.]


The Captain seems to have a relationship with the apparition.


And now the doctor has experienced the ghost. He heard the scream of the ghost. It was the scream of grief, of great unutterable grief.


They are able to make progress before being stopped by another ice flow.


The Captain makes a will and tells the doctor what he wants done with his belongings if he does not survive this trip.


And now the Captain has left the ship-the doctor saw him. It seemed like the Captain was going to a lover. The doctor and a party of seamen have looked for him. They finally found him, dead. There seemed to be a bit of mist around him; the men think it was in the shape of a woman. I have learned never to ridicule any man’s opinion.


The last couple of pages are narrated by the doctor’s father. He attests to the trueness of his son and his journal.

=================

It is a curious thing that in whaling vessels the Church of England Prayer-book is always employed, although there is never a member of that Church among either officers or crew. Our men are all Roman Catholics or Presbyterians, the former predominating. Since a ritual is used which is foreign to both, neither can complain that the other is preferred to them. I just found this a bit curious.




J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement

The Great Keinplatz Experiment

The Man from Archangel

That Little Square Box

John Huxford's Hiatus

A Literary Mosaic

John Barrington Cowles

The Parson of Jackman's Gulch

The Ring of Thoth



Evaluation:

This evaluation is only for a single short story, the title story, The Captain of the Polestar.


The story is well told from the perspective of the ship’s doctor about the strange occurrences which happened on the PoleStar ship in a late season whaling expedition. In the 30 pages or so, Doyle gives descriptions of events, all aboard a ship. He manages to keep the story alive, even with a person like myself who thinks he knows where Doyle is heading. There are hinds along the way such as the Captain saying I have more to bind me to the other world than to this one.


Sometimes it is not the surprise which makes you want to read a book rather in the way a story is told. While not the very best-there is only so much you can do in 30 pages-its is a worthwhile read. 


 
Notes from my book group:

Why read a ghost story? Where in the spectrum of Christian thought do ghosts reside? If you say not at all, should a Christian read such stories? Why or why not?


The ship’s doctor could find rational explanations to refute the men’s fear of ghosts. How did the doctor’s mind change? When do rational explanations fail? Or do they? At the end of the story, the doctor says I have learned never to ridicule any man’s opinion. Why do you think Doyle included that in there?


Doyle says that It it would be as logical to brand Christianity as an error because Judas, who professed that religion, was a villain. Can we judge a religion or a philosophy by its followers? Particularly by those who would be classified as failures? How do you judge the rightness of a religion/philosophy?


There is a statement that the Church of England Prayer Book is used for services because none of the seamen are of that denomination. It prevents fights. What does that say about what Doyle thought of Christian denominations? Is this a good solution?


Does it make any difference to the story to know that Doyle was a spiritualism mystic?


How do you want your life to change because you read this book?


Many of these questions are either from or adapted from LitLovers.

Why the title of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales?

Does this story work as a short story??

Did the ending seem fitting? Satisfying? Predictable?

Which character was the most convincing? Least?

Which character did you identify with?

Which one did you dislike?

Every story has a world view. Were you able to identify this story’s world view? What was it? How did it affect the story?

In what context was religion talked about in this book?

Was there anybody you would consider religious?

How did they show it?

Why do you think the author wrote this book?

What would you ask the author if you had a chance?

What “takeaways” did you have from this book?

How did this book affect your view of the world?

Of how God is viewed?

What questions did you ask yourself after reading this book?

Talk about specific passages that struck you as significant—or interesting, profound, amusing, illuminating, disturbing, sad...?

What was memorable?

Reading Groups General Fiction Guide


New Words:
  • Fey-giving an impression of vague unworldliness.
  • Hummock-a hillock, knoll, or mound.
  • Oleographs-a lithographic print textured to resemble an oil painting
  • Tympanum-the tympanic membrane or eardrum.
  • Taffrail-a rail and ornamentation around a ship's stern.

Good Quotes:
  • First Line: [Being an extract from the singular journal of John M’Alister Ray, student of medicine.]
  • Last Line: During his absence at sea his betrothed had died under circumstances of peculiar horror.
 
Table of Contents:
  • The Captain of the "Pole-Star"
  • J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement
  • The Great Keinplatz Experiment
  • The Man from Archangel
  • That Little Square Box
  • John Huxford's Hiatus
  • A Literary Mosaic
  • John Barrington Cowles
  • The Parson of Jackman's Gulch
  • The Ring of Thoth


Publisher's Web Site for Book

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