Free Essays on Moby Dick

Type of Work: Allegorical novel Setting The high Seas; early nineteenth century Principal Characters Ishmael, a teacher-seaman (and narrator) Queequeg, a hardened and savage harpooner Ahab, captain of the Pequod Starbuck and Stubb, Ahab's first and second mates Fedallah, Captain Ahab's Parsee servant and seer Story Overview A Massachusetts schoolmaster, Ishmael chose to give up the comfort and security of his classroom and fulfill his romantic desire to go to sea. Leaving Manhatto, he traveled to the seaport town of New Bedford to seek out work on a whaler. Ishmael's first night in New Bedford was spent in the crusty Spouter Inn near the water_ front. There he found the only bed available which, by necessity, he consented to share with an unknown harpooner. His roommate turned out to be a bizarre fellow indeed, a hardened South-sea islander whose body was covered with tattoos. But after Ishmael's initial fear had subsided, he found this "strange bedfellow," Queequeg, to be quite friendly. The huge man offered to share his small fortune and an embalmed human head with Ishmael. "At first I knew not what to make of this," Ishmael said, "but soon an inkling of the truth occurred to me. I remembered a story of a white man - a whaleman too - who, falling among cannibals, had been tattooed by them. I concluded that this harpooner, in the course of his distant voy_ ages, must have met with a similar adventure. And what is it, thought 1, after all! It's only his outside; a man can be honest in any sort of skin." The two men became fast friends, both signing on as harpooners aboard the Pequod, a Quaker-owned whaler out of Nantucket. There had been some question around New Bedford as to the future fate of the Pequod because of its eccentric captain, Ahab. But both Ishmael and Queequeg had no intention of changing their plans. They set sail. For the first few days the curious captain stayed out of sight in his cabin, and... Free Essays on Moby Dick Free Essays on Moby Dick Moby Dick The moral ambiguity of the universe is prevalent throughout Melville’s Moby Dick. None of the characters represent pure evil or pure goodness. Even Melville’s description of Ahab, whom he repeatedly refers to "monomaniacal," suggesting an amorality or psychosis, is given a chance to be seen as a frail, sympathetic character. When Ahab’s "monomaniac" fate is juxtaposed with that of Ishmael, that moral ambiguity deepens, leaving the reader with an ultimate unclarity of principle. The final moments of Moby Dick bring the novel to a terse, abrupt climax. The mutual destruction of the Pequod and the White Whale, followed by Ishmael’s epilogue occupies approximately half a dozen pages. Despite Melville’s previous tendency to methodically detail every aspect of whaling life, he assumes a concise, almost journalistic approach in the climax. Note that in these few pages, he makes little attempt to assign value judgements to the events taking place. Stylistically, his narration is reduced to brusque, factual phrases using a greater number of semicolons. By ending the book so curtly, Melville makes a virtually negligible attempt at denouement, leaving what value judgements exist to the reader. Ultimately, it is the dichotomy between the respective fortunes of Ishmael and Ahab that the reader is left with. Herein lies a greater moral ambiguity than is previously suggested. Although Ishmael is the sole survivor of the Pequod, it is notable that in his own way, Ahab fulfills his desire for revenge by ensuring the destruction of the White Whale alongside his own end. Despite the seeming superiority of Ishmael’s destiny, Melville does not explicitly indicate so. On the contrary, he subtly suggests that Ishmael’s survival is lonely and empty upon being rescued: "It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found anothe... Free Essays on Moby Dick Authors throughout history have used the biblical accounts to enhance their own story. Herman Melville’s classic American novel Moby Dick is no exception. In Moby Dick, Melville uses innumerable biblical allusions, but readers can observe this literary technique best in the naming of his characters. The use of the Bible in literature is a powerful tool for an author; it allows him to place his characters and plot within an immortal context. Each character lives for a finite amount of time, but given a biblical name he will live forever in scripture. Also, the author's comparison of aspects of a novel allows the reader to know something more about the characters, settings, and context without an author's introduction. The reader brings a pre-formed notion to the text from his knowledge of the biblical material. Knowing this adds more poignancy to the frustration that Ahab has over his mission to kill the whale. In Moby Dick Melville acts as both parent and inventor. As author, he creates the characters and names them. Ishmael begins Moby Dick saying "Call me Ishmael." (Melville 1) We do not know if this is his real name but he chooses to identify with the biblical character. It is interesting to consider the name of Ishmael in respect to all the other biblical names of the novel. Ishmael is the only one who chooses his, while Melville determines the others' names. This is particularly significant in regard to Ahab. Ishmael is the only one with the power to choose his fate because he is able to choose his name. Ishmael chooses God as his protector when most other people have a parent. Ishmael's survival story is incredible and supports the idea that God was looking out for him since he is the only one to survive. Because God is willing to save Ishmael, Melville is willing to save him as well; Ishmael is the only one to survive. Ahab is another person all his own, with his own past and biblical reigned as the king of the Israel f... Free Essays on Moby Dick Type of Work: Allegorical novel Setting The high Seas; early nineteenth century Principal Characters Ishmael, a teacher-seaman (and narrator) Queequeg, a hardened and savage harpooner Ahab, captain of the Pequod Starbuck and Stubb, Ahab's first and second mates Fedallah, Captain Ahab's Parsee servant and seer Story Overview A Massachusetts schoolmaster, Ishmael chose to give up the comfort and security of his classroom and fulfill his romantic desire to go to sea. Leaving Manhatto, he traveled to the seaport town of New Bedford to seek out work on a whaler. Ishmael's first night in New Bedford was spent in the crusty Spouter Inn near the water_ front. There he found the only bed available which, by necessity, he consented to share with an unknown harpooner. His roommate turned out to be a bizarre fellow indeed, a hardened South-sea islander whose body was covered with tattoos. But after Ishmael's initial fear had subsided, he found this "strange bedfellow," Queequeg, to be quite friendly. The huge man offered to share his small fortune and an embalmed human head with Ishmael. "At first I knew not what to make of this," Ishmael said, "but soon an inkling of the truth occurred to me. I remembered a story of a white man - a whaleman too - who, falling among cannibals, had been tattooed by them. I concluded that this harpooner, in the course of his distant voy_ ages, must have met with a similar adventure. And what is it, thought 1, after all! It's only his outside; a man can be honest in any sort of skin." The two men became fast friends, both signing on as harpooners aboard the Pequod, a Quaker-owned whaler out of Nantucket. There had been some question around New Bedford as to the future fate of the Pequod because of its eccentric captain, Ahab. But both Ishmael and Queequeg had no intention of changing their plans. They set sail. For the first few days the curious captain stayed out of sight in his cabin, and... Free Essays on Moby Dick â€Å"MOBY DICK† The Symbolism Of The Whale In Moby Dick, Herman Melville uses the whale to symbolize Humankind’s inability to understand the world, to express the nature of human relationships, the concept or idea of God and environment. Melville seems to have an array of multiple symbolic meaning to the whale. I have found it difficult to follow through with one flowing theme. Moby Dick is an unfriendly force, interpreted as a symbolic representation of God, an impassable and all powerful being that humankind can neither understand nor defy. Through out Moby Dick, the whale is given divine qualities and often compared to God. Just as many people fear God they also feared Moby Dick. Moby Dick possesses an array of symbolic meanings for a variety of individuals. To the crew of the Pequod, the whale is a legendary concept on to which they can transfer their anxieties about dangerous and often very frightening jobs. Because they have no delusions about the whale acting spitefully toward men or exactly embodying evil, tales about the whale allow them to face their fear, manage it and continue on. Ahab, on they other hand, believes that Moby Dick is a sign of all that is evil with the world, and he feels that it is his destiny to destroy this symbol of evil. In destroying the whale, Ahab is also destroying his own fears and evil that faces him in the world. Melville shows that Moby Dick is capable of great violence. However, he also shows the whale living peacefully and tranquilly at sea until man attacks him. Ishmael tries an array of approaches to describe the whale, but none proves adequate. Ishmael is in awe of the whale. He sees Moby Dick quite differently; the whale is a representation of nature from its beauty and wonders to the terror and fear it can bring. The color (White) of the whale is a symbol that can be interpreted differently. Ishmael begins his discussion of â€Å"whiteness† by noting its use as a symbol of ...