Moby Dick: Culturally Aceptable Essay

Perhaps more importantly, Ishmael attributes his voyage to a decision in the first place. However, Ishmael does not hold this opinion for long. By the end of the chapter – notably just a few pages later – Ishmael has a much more weighty opinion of his future journey, “Doubtless, my going on this whaling voyage, formed part of the grand programme of Providence that was drawn up a long time ago” (Melville 22). Although he initially thinks that going whaling was his own decision motivated by boredom, impoverishment, and depression, Ishmael now views his voyage as something that is fated by God. This is solidified by the fact that water is tied to creation and God to begin with, and much of the chapter is focused on water rather than God specifically. From the very beginning, Melville is tying his work to God and fate, which – to say the least – is very ambitious.

At the end of the novel Ishmael is no longer the naïve man he once was, as he informs the reader, "a whale-ship was my Yale College and my Harvard"#. The beliefs he possesses at the point of his rescue by "The Rachel" seem reminiscent of transcendentalism, an idea that was prominent in 1836 and one that inspired not only Melville himself but also Henry Thoreau.

    One might say we are presented with two fish stories in looking at Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, a marlin in the former and a whale in the latter.  However, both of these animals are symbolic of the struggle their hunters face to find dignity and meaning in the face of a nihilistic universe in Hemingway and a fatalistic one in Melville.  While both men will be unable to conquer the forces of the universe against them, neither will either man be conquered by them because of their refusal to yield to these insurmountable forces.  However, Santiago gains a measure of peace and understanding about existence from his struggles, while Ahab leaves the

In the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville, there is an untold truth about racism. The “whiteness of the whale” and Ishmael’s relationship with Queequeg suggest more than what meets the eye. Moby Dick was written approximately 10 years before the Civil War in America, a time when the fight over race was more relevant than ever. Although some may argue that race cannot be argued in Moby Dick, an article from The Massachusetts Review says, “the novel is a a floating Babel of racial types” (Bernard). The order of the Pequod demonstrates the hierarchy of race in the world at this time. Due to the focus on the “whiteness of the whale”, the broad-mindedness of the characters, and the secondary position of the colored characters.

Throughout his novel, Moby Dick, Herman Melville will often devote entire chapters to the thoughts and actions of specific characters. Two specific examples of this type of chapter are Chapter 36, The Quarter-Deck, and Chapter 42, The Whiteness of the Whale. The first of these chapters depicts Ahab addressing his crew for the first time in order to convince them to hunt down Moby Dick. The second offers insight to the fear that is brought upon by the mere mention of Moby Dick The significance and effectiveness of each of these chapters are enhanced by Melville’s use of rhetoric and style respectively.

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.

In Herman Melville’s novel, Moby-Dick, Ishmael, the narrator, goes on a whaling voyage where he learns the values of life and makes amazing friends through the process. Although he also experiences dangerous expeditions on the ship, and first one that was introduced was in chapter 48, “The First Lowering”. In this chapter, the whole crew goes out on their first whaling expedition where they encountered a heavy storm which resulted in the readers finding out more about Stubb, Flask, and Starbuck’s personality and leadership skills. The chapter also brought some racist views where the crew gossiped about the shadow men that snuck on the ship and how they are above those men in rank and status. Overall, Ishmael reveals more information to the readers in this chapter than the others and has given them an introduction to the dangers of a whaling voyage. “The First Lowering” is one of the most important and dangerous chapters in the book because Ishmael enhances the reader’s knowledge about the lives of the sailors and gives them a glimpse of his racial views as well.

As the story of Moby Dick starts, Ishmael our narrator immediately establishes a direct relationship with the reader through the famous line, “call me Ishmael.” And as the story begins to unfold, the opening chapters paint us an image of who Ishmael is: a stoic young man, full of sadness, and consumed by wanderlust. Yet this information only scratches the surface of who our character truly is and the question can still be asked, “Who really is this character that is asking us to refer to him by his first name?” By doing a close reading of chapter 68 The Blanket, we are given examples of how Ishmael thinks about and views his surroundings, which help give us insight to who he really is. Ishmael is more than just a friendly narrator, but rather a very deep and perceptive character.

"Do human beings have free will or free choice and if not who or what shapes human destiny?" (McSweeney 9) Herman Melville utilizes Father Mapple's sermon in his nineteenth century epic novel Moby Dick, to illustrate the duality of mankind. Mortal man pursues his own singular interests with selfish intent; however, God has prevailing intentions, which are often beyond the comprehension of the individual. Melville expands and elaborates this theme throughout his epic work. The sermon is an omen for the dynamic action of the novel, which is revealed in Captain Ahab's megalomaniacal pursuit of the white whale. No person, ship or force of nature can sway Captain Ahab from his selfish ambition. He is willing to risk his crew, career, and even

Heidegger’s View: The Whiteness of the Whale In Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick, you learn of the character Ishmael. Using continental philosopher Martin Heidegger’s point of view in Chapter 42: The Whiteness of the Whale, Ishmael seems to discover his being of being through the color white. The name Ishmael comes from the Genesis in the Bible. In the Old Testament Ishmael was born by Abraham and the maid, Hagar.

Moby-Dick is considered to be one of, if not the, best novels in American history. Harper & Brothers first published it in 1851 in New York. In England, it was published in the same year under the title, The Whale (“Moby Dick”). Melville explores topics and themes that were scarcely spoken of and never even seen in a novel. In the novel, the Pequod, which is the ship, is named after a Native American tribe that was exterminated when the white settlers arrived. It is a symbol of death and doom and foreshadows event that occur later in the novel. Melville brings some very controversial themes to light in the novel. Revenge is one of the main themes of Dark Romanticism and Melville uses it to drive every action taken by Ahab. This is seen early on in the novel as Ahab explains to the crew why he has a peg leg and that he wants to enact his revenge on Moby Dick (Melville 160-161). “Moby Dick is, fundamentally, a revenge tragedy. It’s about one man’s maniacal obsession with vengeance. It’s about finding an object on which to pin all you anger and fear and rage, not only about your own suffering, but also about the suffering of all mankind” (“Moby

Donald Yannella, author of New Essays on Billy Budd, says that “at the heart lies an obsession with justice," as is exhibited in Herman Melville’s classics, Moby Dick and Billy Budd, Sailor. Herman Melville was an American author born on August 1, 1819 in New York, New York. The author wrote many books and penned poetry in his later years. Best known for his novel Moby Dick, Melville was not regarded as one of America’s greatest writers until after his death on September 28, 1891. Not achieving his dream job, and with his family in shambles, he boarded the St Lawrence in 1839. His time spent at sea would prove to be useful, as the majority of his books take place on the high seas.

As the pursuit of Moby continues, Ishmael is left behind in the water far from the Pequod and where the rest of the crew ultimately die from the whirlpool Moby creates in the side of the Pequod. Ishmael avoids the wrath of Moby on Ahab, and the whirlpool from the sinking Pequod. Melville writes that “the Fates ordained” (625) Ishmael’s survival and that because of Fedallah’s death, he lives. For the philosophical reason of Ishmael’s survival from Moby’s wrath it was quite straightforward. Ishmael did not intently seek out the destruction of Moby and so is spared from the fate of the crew. Ishmael was on the Pequod not to seek out vengeance, but to find truth and because of his neutrality he was spared.

            These two areas of elevated position and a fatal character flaw as outlined by Millhauser and Melville, within the novel itself, distinctly set Ahab off as a potentially heroic character. Ahab is driven to a confrontation with his adversary by a force never clearly spelled out for the reader. However, much is made of the loomings of fate in the lives of men. Further reference is made to the prophecy of Fedallah. Because we pick up the story near the end (from Ahab's perspective), it is difficult to ascertain his full motivations. Along with this fact, it becomes difficult to determine whether Ahab is shaping or controlling his own destiny or not. Moby Dick is Ahab's nemesis. Again Melville is never clear in spelling out how the white whale is to be interpreted.

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 that surround him. Melville uses a series of gams, social interactions or simple exchanges of information between whaling ships at sea, in order to more clearly present man’s situation as he faces an existence whose meaning he cannot fully grasp.