Warning: this article discusses violence and cannibalism.

Ron Howard's 2015 film In the Heart of the Sea boasts an A-list cast, with Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, and Cillian Murphy giving great performances in the leading roles. Despite the great cast and exciting plot, In the Heart of the Sea was a box office failure and received only middling reviews. However, In the Heart of the Sea's new-found popularity on Netflix means that nine years later, the film finally has a chance to make up for its original reception.

In the Heart of the Sea works well as a stand-alone drama adventure movie, but it is also a great watch for fans of they are lost at sea. As the movie progresses, the men of the Essex are forced to make difficult choices for their survival in order to make it home to Nantucket.

Why Pollard And Chase Refuse To Lie About Their Experiences

Their Story Is More Important Than The Whaling Company's Reputation

At In the Heart of the Sea's conclusion, Thomas Nickerson relates to Herman Melville how, when the men returned from their time at sea, Captain Pollard and Owen Chase both refused to lie about their experiences when forced to participate in an inquiry. While Pollard initially plans to go through with the lie and say the ship simply ran aground and the men died by accident, Chase convinces him that the company's reputation should not be their primary concern after everything that they've been through. Pollard and Chase ultimately tell the truth, not covering up their horrible experiences.

Though Pollard and Chase ultimately realize that the inquiry was a sham all along, as the company planned to cover it up regardless, they feel better knowing that they told the truth.

In refusing to lie about what happened after the sinking of the Essex, Pollard and Chase made the choice not to minimize the horror of their experiences and how much courage they needed to survive the ordeal. Additionally, telling the truth about the other men who died while floating at sea is a refusal to ignore the brutality of their deaths and the realization that all of them deserved better. Though Pollard and Chase ultimately realize that the inquiry was a sham all along, as the company planned to cover it up regardless, they feel better knowing that they told the truth.

Why Thomas Nickerson Is Reluctant To Tell His Story

He Is Embarrassed To Share What The Men Did To Stay Alive

Thomas Nickerson, played by Brendan Gleeson as the older narrator and Tom Holland as a boy on the ship, is initially reluctant to tell his story and only agrees when his wife prompts him to do so for the money. As the movie progresses, the perspective occasionally switches back to him as he prompts Melville to leave without hearing the ending. The primary reasons that Nickerson is so apprehensive are the trauma that the story forces him to relive and the truths that he must it in doing so.

Nickerson's biggest reveal is that he and some of the other men of the Essex cannibalized the body of one of their crewmates, which occurred on the other raft as well, in order to survive. After itting the truth, Nickerson asks Melville if he judges him and confirms that he has never even told his wife. However, after listening from the doorway, his wife gently reassures Nickerson that she loves him regardless of what he did because of his bravery. Despite the difficulty of the tale, Nickerson ultimately seems to find some relief in finally being honest.

What Happened To In The Heart Of The Sea's Characters In Real Life

Many Of The Characters Depicted In The Movie Were Based On Real Sailors

Chris Hemsworth's character Owen Chase, Benjamin Walker's character Captain Pollard, and Tom Holland's character Thomas Nickerson survived along with two other men. The three men continued their careers at sea after recovering from the physical ramifications of their time lost at sea. Pollard went on to captain another ship, but after it too sank, he was considered cursed and retired. Chase also returned to the sea as a first mate and captain several times, and retired in 1840. Nickerson became a merchant captain following the wreck and lived until 1883.

Survivors of the Essex Sinking

• Captain George Pollard
• First Mate Owen Chase
• Thomas Nickerson
• Benjamin Lawrence
• Charles Ramsdell

Unfortunately, as depicted in the film, many of the crew of the Essex died before they could be rescued, including Cillian Murphy's character Matthew Joy, who died at sea rather than staying on the island as shown in the film. However, the other three men on the island did survive in real life. Of the 17 men who left the deserted island, only five survived their time at sea. Both Chase and Nickerson wrote memoirs of the event, with Chase's serving as one of the inspirations for the classic book Moby-Dick (via Nantucket Historical Association).

How In The Heart Of The Sea's True Story Inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick

The White Whale And What It Represents Are Crucial To Moby-Dick

Despite its seemingly overdramatized moments, In the Heart of the Sea is actually a true story, and it also inspired Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. This is fairly clear throughout the film as Melville himself appears as a character in the film that helps push along the narrative. While Melville's interview with Thomas Nickerson was invented for the movie, some of the events of the Essex sinking and the themes present in In the Heart of the Sea are certainly similar to those of Moby-Dick.

The desire of Pollard to find and kill the white whale is similar to Captain Ahab's, and the significance that the whale holds throughout each story as a symbol for something that each man is looking for is quite clear.

The white whale that sinks the Essex was likely part of the inspiration for Moby-Dick, as were the events of the ship's destruction, but Herman Melville was also inspired by his own experiences at sea and other whaling tales of the time. Additionally, the movie draws clear connections between the different personalities and goals of the characters and their counterparts in Moby-Dick. The desire of Pollard to find and kill the white whale is similar to Captain Ahab's, and the significance that the whale holds throughout each story as a symbol for something that each man is looking for is quite clear.

In The Heart Of The Sea's Real Meaning

The Movie Is A Tale Of Survival And The Search For The Truth

In the Heart of the Sea's real meaning is about the human capacity for survival, the importance of storytelling, and the connection between the sea, adventure, and man's search for some greater truth. These meanings are even hinted at right in the beginning of the film in Melville's voiceover, outlining the vastness and power of the sea and what it stands for in peoples' imaginations. In the final minutes of In the Heart of the Sea, this purpose is reaffirmed as Herman Melville tells Nickerson that, through his story, he has given Melville "the courage to go where one does not want to go."

The film's deeper meanings are reaffirmed by Chase's decision not to kill the whale when he has the chance as the crew float aimlessly at sea and Captain Pollard's decision to venture back to the same waters to hunt for the whale, not knowing it had disappeared from him already. The real people depicted in In the Heart of the Sea began their journey hopeful of making a profit and a life for themselves, but sadly found the opposite. However, despite the more gruesome moments, In the Heart of the Sea is able to show the resilience and bravery of its main characters.

Source: Nantucket Historical Association