Analysis Of Moby Dick - 1401 Words

A vengeful man, a native, and a man seeking enlightenment board a whaling vessel; this isn’t a joke, this is the United States of America throughout history and the members of the Pequod. Moby Dick is not just a tale about a whaling venture gone awry, it is a metaphor for what America was and is. The Pequod represents the country and government, while the 30 crew members (Melville 430; ch. 126) represents the United State citizens. This would have not been possible to consider in Melville’s time, but it is a true testament to literature being a living text. Melville wasn’t only writing about America in the 1800’s, he was writing about the natures of humanity, and the future of our society. The social hierarchy of the Pequod is explained†¦show more content†¦The hierarchy is still as follows: white men, more white men, minorities. The social hierarchy of the ship is strikingly similar to the social hierarchy of America in the late 1840’s int o the 1850’s. Ahab, a white male, was the captain over numerous immigrants, natives, and African Americans on this ship. Now, what he should have been doing was keeping the crew in mind when making decisions, but instead he was consumed and focused on overtaking the White Whale. To Abraham Lincoln this White Whale was preserving the Union. Lincoln had a moral problem with slavery, but he was also prepared to do anything to preserve the Union. He once said, â€Å"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it,† (Save the Union). This is exactly how Ahab felt; Ahab was prepared for his entire crew to accompany him to â€Å"all the ends of the earth,† (Melville 100; ch. 27). Ahab was indifferent about the actual outcome of his crew as long as his goals were met, which is very similar to Lincoln’s view of slavery: as long as the goal is met, the citizens, or crew, doesn’ t matter. There is a more modern parallel from Captain Ahab to George W. Bush. Both were Commander in Chief, both had vengeance towards an unseen enemy, and both rallied the crew to fight against this enemy. Captain Ahab encouraged his crew to take down the white whaleShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Book Moby Dick 1572 Words   |  7 PagesIndependent Reading Assignment: Moby Dick Throughout reading Herman Melville’s convoluted novel â€Å"Moby Dick†, you learn that there is and will always be a limit to the amount of knowledge someone can accumulate. This becomes more apparent when the narrator of the story, Ishmael, constantly attempts to understand the whale Moby Dick, but does so inadequately, even after making use of various systems of knowledge. Moby Dick is painted as a God in this epic novel, and much like the belief that the deity’sRead MoreMoby Dick Symbolism Analysis734 Words   |  3 PagesMoby Dick Symbolism Moby Dick by Herman Melville is full of many symbols foreshadowing doom, but the one that stood out to me was the Pequod. The Pequod is the whaling ship and it helps provide a symbol of doom or failure by a couple things: Ahab directs the ship in an unorthodox way and doesnt use it for it’s main intended purpose, the way that the boat is decorated and portrayed in the painting at the Spouter Inn makes it seem dark and gloomy, and the place that the name of the boat doesn’tRead MoreAnalysis Of Moby Dick By Herman Melville1276 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"There is wisdom that is woe but there is a woe that is madness.†- Herman Melville. Moby-Dick is a novel that was written by Herman Melville, during the American Renaissance. Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, and a poet. 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Ahab’s characteristics that create his moral tragedy are represented by different characters in the novel. In Fedallah’s case, he represents the pure, demonic evil that exists in Ahab. At times he seems to be supernatural and a literal extension of Ahab’s innermost being. In Chapter 73 , while observing the right whales head, Fedallah’s shadow seems to blend in with Ahab’s, as if they are a single being (Melville 261). Read MoreAnalysis of Herman Melville ´s Moby Dick Essay821 Words   |  4 Pages Herman Melville, in his renowned novel Moby-Dick, presents the tale of the determined and insanely stubborn Captain Ahab as he leads his crew, the men of the Pequod, in revenge against the white whale. A crew mixed in age and origin, and a young, logical narrator named Ishmael sail with Ahab. Cut off from the rest of society, Ahab attempts to make justice for his personal loss of a leg to Moby Dick on a previous voyage, and fights against the injustice he perceived in the overwhelming forces thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Little Opposition Of The Night By Moby Dick 1532 Words   |  7 PagesStubb: Stubb is a man who loves to smoke his pipes and laugh in response to fear. His little opposition to going after Moby Dick shows how he believes in predestination and that all things in life are planned already, so he might as well make the most of them with a laugh and good smoke. This can be interpreted as a nervous reaction to what he knows will truly occur and the death that may ensue. He is afraid and the greater his fears become the more he smokes and frequently he laughs. This can beRead MoreMoby Dick By Herman Melville1098 Words   |  5 Pages Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a tale of many things, and has become perhaps one of the most widely known revenge stories ever told, wherein the mad Captain Ahab chases the titular white whale to the ends of the earth, willing to sacrifice everything for revenge. The novel is known for its extensive symbolism and abstract or open-ended meaning. Many people find different meanings in the story, and the debate over what certain elements mean has been a point of contention since the novel was publishedRead MoreCaptain Ahab And Ishmaels Visions Of Moby Dick1680 Words   |  7 PagesAhab’s and Ishmael’s conceptions of the eponymous Moby Dick and their quest to kill him are, in ways intellectual and emotional, similar, they diverge in that Ishmael’s conception of Moby Dick is organic and susceptible to revision, whereas Ahab’s is unchanging and linear. In order to compare and contrast Ahab and Ishmael’s visions of Moby Dick, it is necessary to understand each man’s vision of the quest. Captain Ahab’s understanding of Moby Dick is multifaceted, including conceptions both personalRead MoreReview Of Moby Dick 1071 Words   |  5 PagesThe Impact of Devices in Moby Dick 1) Device: Allusion Quote with context (step one): In the very first sentence of Moby Dick, Herman Melville introduces Ishmael as the sole narrator of the novel. He quickly reveals Ishmael’s intense desire to take part in a whaling voyage. However, Ishmael has trouble reconciling why he wants to do so; he explains, â€Å"I cannot tell why it was exactly that those stage managers, the fates, put me down for this shabby part of a whaling voyage...yet, now that I recall