Ahab? s Evil Quest: Melville? s Symbols In Moby-Dick Essay, Research Paper

Ahab? s Evil Quest:

Melville? s Symbols in Moby-Dick

Herman Melville began working on his heroic poem fresh Moby-Dick in 1850, composing it

chiefly as a study on the whaling voyages he set about in the 1830s and early 1840s.

Many critics suppose that his initial book did non incorporate characters such as Ahab,

Starbuck, or even Moby Dick, but the summer of 1850 changed Melville? s authorship and

his chef-d’oeuvre. He became friends with writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and was greatly

influenced by him. He besides read Shakespeare and Milton? s Eden Lost ( Murray 41 ) .

These influences lead to the novel Melville completed and published in 1851. Although

shunned by critics after its release, Moby-Dick enjoyed a critical Renaissance in the 1920s

and as assumed its rightful topographic point in the canons of American and universe literature as a

great authoritative. Through the symbols employed by Melville, Moby-Dick surveies adult male? s

relationship with his existence, his destiny, and his God. Ahab represents the conference worlds

brand with immorality when they question the destiny God has willed upon them, and God is

represented by the great white giant, Moby Dick. In Moby-Dick, Herman Melville utilizations

a huge array of symbols and fables in the hunt for the true account of adult male? s

topographic point in the existence and his relationship with his destiny and his God.

The focal point of barbarous destiny and evil symbols is placed on the caput of Ahab, captain of

the Pequod. Ishmael, though storyteller of the narrative, is non the centre of Moby-Dick after

Captain Ahab is introduced onto the deck of the ship and into action. The focal point of the

fresh displacements from the fresher whaler to see Ahab, an? ungodly, god-like adult male?

( Melville 82 ) . Having been a whaler for many old ages, he is a good respected captain, yet

his old ocean trip has left him without a limb, and in its topographic point is a peg leg carved from

whale tusk. Ahab remains below decks shadowed in obscureness for the initial phases of

the Pequod? s journey into the Atlantic. Ahab shortly reveals his diabolic program to his crew,

nevertheless, in a manic onslaught of oratory? he wishes to seek, Hunt, and destruct the White

Whale, the legendary Moby Dick. It was the white whale Moby Dick which had, on Ahab? s

anterior ocean trip, hungrily devoured his leg, and Ahab harbored a resentful retaliation on his

tormentor. Any reference of Moby Dick sent Ahab into a ferocious fury ( Melville 155 ) . He

riles against Starbuck, the first mate and Starbuck answers, ? retribution on a dense beast! .

. . to be enraged with a dense thing, Captain Ahab, seems profane? ( Melville 155 ) .

It is through Ahab? s address and his subsequent duologue with Starbuck that a

2nd major symbol is introduced into the narrative, Moby Dick. Blasphemy is irreverence

toward God or something sacred, non irreverence toward a dense beastly giant. Yet

Starbuck accuses Ahab of blasphemy. Melville places this instead rough accusatory word

in the oral cavity of the Christian-minded Starbuck, directed at a devilishly vindictive Ahab.

The lone manner actions taken against Moby Dick could be profane is if he is sacred.

Through indirect descriptions of Moby Dick and direct harangues of an insane adult male,

Melville Piper nigrums Moby-Dick with intimations and hints at the true kernel Ahab sees behind

the symbol of Moby Dick.

Harmonizing to crewmans narratives and fables, Moby Dick is seen in two topographic points at one time

at different topographic points around the Earth. In this trait Melville is proposing ubiquity, a

divine trait ( Melville 172 ) . The crewmans think he is immortal, another godlike trait,

because he has been harpooned many times and still lives ( Braswell 152 ) . Ahab himself

believes Moby Dick? s power is hideous, like God? s omnipotence. Ahab provinces in

Chapter XXXVI, ? that cryptic thing [ Moby Dick? s power ] is chiefly what I hate?

( Melville157 ) . In add-on to the godlike features of omnipotence and

ubiquity, Moby Dick has garnered a repute for rupturing through evildoers. He

shows godlike justness and clemency in salvaging Steelkilt and killing the unfair Radney, as the

crew learns from the crewmans of the Town-Ho ( Auden 11 ) .

Melville uses many other symbols to do the white giant a symbol of Godhead

power ( Braswell 151 ) . His atrocious severe beauty is divine, as is his titanic power and his

pyramidal white bulge. His colour, white, has signified a particular holiness ; and Melville

devotes an full chapter, narrated by Ishmael, in which he explores the significance of

whiteness through the ages and through the eyes of many different civilizations ( Arvin

221-222 ) . In Chapter LI, the Pequod sights a cryptic silvery jet of H2O evidently

emanating from a giant. The canvass are spread and the ship gives pursuit, but the

? spirit-spout? is ne’er identified. If this spirit-spout is emanating from Moby Dick, it is

reminiscent of God? s pillar of fire in Exodus. Through these and other little hints and

symbols, Melville insinuates that Moby Dick is sacred and godlike.

What Melville slyly confidants with symbol he states explicitly through the oral cavity

of an insane Shaker. When the Pequod meets the ship Jeroboam, the bid of the

ship is virtually in the custodies of an insane Shaker who thinks he is the archangel Gabriel.

United society of believers in christ’s second appearings were a spiritual religious order that believed that humanity? s wickedness was caused by Adam and

Eve? s first act of animal wickedness ( Guiley 137 ) . Gabriel? s harangues uncover his beliefs that Moby

Dick is God incarnate ( Auden 11 ) and predicts day of reckoning for those who hunt? his deity?

( Melville 295 ) . Those who seek to destruct Moby Dick are destroyed by him. Harry

Macey, 2nd mate of the Jeroboam, who pursued Moby Dick is killed. Like insane

Gabriel, few critics doubt that Moby Dick is a symbol for God ( Buell 62 ) . However,

Moby Dick is seen as unfair and too-powerful by Ahab, suggestive of an Old Testament

construct of God. Rather that being a loving Deity, Moby Dick embodies? the Old

Testament Calvinistic construct of an affr

ighting Deity and his rigorous commandments?

( Murray 42 ) . T. Walker Herbert states that Moby Dick represents a God tally amok

( 112-114 ) . Ahab? s feelings toward a God he feels has unjustly wronged him is his

motivating force to trail Moby Dick around the universe.

What Captain Ahab is seeking, by manner of symbols and fables, is the expansive

enigma of the existence. Ahab wishes to seek Eden for the secret of human suffering and

agony ( Hillway 89 ) and wrest the secrets away ( Spiller 455 ) . Ahab believes God is

penalizing him unjustly, and Ahab? s mad pursuit is to revenge this private abuse ( Murray

46 ) . Melville uses allusions to the Bible to stress this authoritative battle between adult male

and God. Ishmael says that Ahab is trailing a? Job? s giant round the universe? ( Melville

177 ) . In the Old Testament, Job claims that God has unjustly wronged him, similar to

Ahab? s belief. By comparing Job and Ahab, Melville forces? readers to see God? s

character, particularly as it relates to human enduring? ( House 213 ) . Ahab conveys all of

humanity? s protests against the unfairnesss of destiny, Melville makes Ahab the symbol of

humanity and Moby Dick a symbol of God, donor of Fate. ? When Ahab work stoppages at

Moby Dick. . . he does so in a huffy desire for retaliation on God, whom he holds

responsible for its [ immorality? s ] being? ( Braswell 150 ) . Ahab refuses to accept the fact that

restrictions on worlds prohibit them from assailing God, yet Ahab attempts. ? A

modern-day Gallic critic got a the bosom of the affair when he said that the lone ground

Ahab tries to harpoon Moby Dick is that he can non harpoon God? ( Braswell 151 ) .

Ahab? s profane Hunt of Moby Dick has made him a evildoer against God. By

striking back at destiny Ahab has become the mirror image of his Old Testament namesake,

evil male monarch Ahab of Israel ( Kazin 44 ) . Ahab desires to look through the? pasteboard mask?

of world and see what is behind physical objects ( Melville 157 ) . Ahab wants to look

behind the mask of Moby Dick and see God, to dispute him and oppugn his rightness.

Ahab believes God is unmindful to the agony of world ( Braswell 154 ) and even

provinces, ? Sometimes I think at that place? s naught beyond? the mask of Moby Dick ( Melville

157 ) . Not merely has Ahab questioned God? s justness, he has questioned His really being.

This blasphemy against God and non-acceptance of human restrictions has made Ahab

seek immorality forces to harpoon God, God in the pretense of Moby Dick.

Ahab? s association with the evil forces in the existence is made evident by

Melville many times in Moby-Dick. Ahab declares himself to be huffy and? demoniac?

( Melville 160 ) . His evil belongingss would take him to be called the Antichrist by the

Church Fathers ( Murray 40 ) . Ahab sets sail on Christmas Day, go forthing port when

Jesus? s life began, typifying Ahab? s opposition to Christlike values ( Braswell 152 ) .

Ahab besides baptizes his specially made harpoon in the name of the Satan? ? Ego no

baptizo Te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli. ? The interlingual rendition of Ahab? s Latin is, ? I

make non baptise thee in the name of the male parent, but in the name of the devil. ? Ahab

baptise his harpoon in the blood of his heathen harpooneers: Queequeg, Dagoo, and

Tashtego. Ahab? s personal whaleboat abounds with pagans, led by Fedallah, whose

name suggests? dev ( Illinois ) Allah, ? the Crusader position of Allah ( Murray 41 ) .

Melville adds more symbolism near the terminal of the novel. When Ahab announced

his oblique purposes early in the ocean trip, he offered an Ecuadorian dubloon as a award

for the first adult male who sighted Moby Dick. The coin shows the Sun traveling into the

zodiacal configuration of Libra, the Scales. Did Melville works this symbol to propose the

graduated tables of destiny were weighing in on Ahab? ( Chase, ? Melville? 59 ) . Fate weighed Ahab

and found him desiring because his evil quest terminals in desperation. He chases Moby Dick,

Moby Dick does non trail him. Had he non pursued Moby Dick, Moby Dick would non

hold destroyed the full ship and its crew, save Ishmael who survived the brush

( Arvin 217 ) . On twenty-four hours three of Ahab? s Hunt, the giant destroys the whaling boats and the

Pequod, thereby destructing those who seek to get away their human restrictions and

inquiry their divinely ordained destiny. Melville? s fables and symbolism? Ahab

typifying work forces who feel wronged by God and Moby Dick typifying a vindictive God

who will destruct those who wish to destruct Him? are woven into a timeless

chef-d’oeuvre of expounding and are revealed through a huge array of symbols, intimations, and

harangues.

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