500
This is a man who had only recently returned from three years at sea. This is a man for whom “the land seemed scorching to his feet.” When Ishmael says of Bulkington, “that all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort
of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea.” Ishmael is suggesting that ...
What is for Bulkington, in order to preserve his sense of self, he must head out from safety and security.