In “Tied by Cords Woven of Heart-Strings,” Veronica Faller enters the conversation with a spirited voice, engaging with a wide range of critics to re-interpret the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg in Melville’s canonical work, Moby Dick. Faller’s essay gives us a glimpse of the intellectual energy that students bring to the interpretation of works that move them: the use of the epigram to set the scene, the ambitious conceptualization of ideas that acknowledges but ultimately counters critics’ interpretations, the lively use of quotation to enrich the argument, and the distinctiveness of the author’s voice as she navigates her own complicated response to the text—all of these aspects build to create a compassionate and memorable essay. With this essay, Faller finds her place in the academic conversation, not only because of her intellectual contribution, but also because her approach to argument and style will encourage us to enter the conversation, engaging further with the original text, critics’ views, and her interpretation.