Thomas Nickerson's In The Heart Of The Sea

Life was hard for the men at sea as well as for the women back home, because of the distances set upon them due to the voyages that lasted two to three years, the men were out at sea. Many young men as young as fourteen years old, from Nantucket, idolized the Essex and dreamed of becoming one of the whale hunters aboard the vessels.Although the Essex might not look like much being stripped from her rigging and all, many saw the vessel as opportunity, especially Thomas Nickerson who was eager to go to sea. After Nickerson explored the dark, hot interior on his first moments aboard the Essex, the thrill was soon over. The Essex was no cruise ship to vacation on, Nickerson and the gradually accumulating crew of the Essex labored to prepare the ship for voyage. During the winter, the Nantucket’s wharvers were topped by a layer of oiled soaked sand the stench was rising being pungent enough to make a veteran whaleman gag.
On the other hand some of the Nantucket whaleman wives adapted quite well to the three year way, three months at home rhythm of the whale fishery. Some wrote in their journals, like Eliza brock, expressing their longing for their men across the sea but also loved the freedom after shedding a few tears from their husbands departure. Although many of the whaleman …show more content…
When i first started reading this book I expected to be bored and force myself to read because i was assigned to do so, instead i was moved by how harsh life was back then, unlike the present era, and how easy it is nowadays compared to back then. Personally not seeing my girlfriend for two weeks bothers me to the point where i complain to my mom to take me to her house, or even sneak out to go see her, so i can't imagine how the men at sea felt when they were away from home for years from their beloved wives, enduring harsh