We've got your back. With the Tough-O-Meter, you'll know whether to bring extra layers or Swiss army knives as you summit the literary mountain. (10 = Toughest)
(5) Tree Line
There are two major factors that up the difficulty on this otherwise straightforward literary adventure tale. The first one is diction. It isn't that Melville simply uses big words—it's that he was writing in the mid-nineteenth century, when the English language looked quite different than it does today.
"Severely contused" (17.31)? That's a bad bruise. "Round-shouldered, spindle-shanked, crane-necked varlets" (25.4)? Oh, that's just a low-class dude with bad posture and chicken legs.
This all means that sometimes you have to take a breath and do a little internet searchin' to get the true meaning. (And maybe later you'll impress your friends with some truly vintage put-downs.)
That brings us to the second difficulty factor: practicing patience. Melville thinks nothing of putting aside the action-adventure for a little discussion of, say, the plant and animal life of the Marquesa Islands, or the tribal weaving customs. It's going to take a little self-control to stop yourself from—wait for it—"jumping ship" (sorry, not sorry).
But remember: if you wanted non-stop action, there are like two gazillion Fast & Furious flicks. You're coming to Melville because he's Melville—sailor, explorer, literary icon—and he wants to teach you about everything he's seen. Why not let him?