In the novel Moby-Dick, Melville uses Ahab to highlight how having an unhealthy obsession can take over a person’s whole self and eventually lead to madness. Ahab’s intentions from the beginning of the novel with the great White Whale were pretty visible and as it went on, his insanity became more deranged and more evident. This can be seen in chapter 113, The Forge, when Ahab drenches his harpoon with blood that Perth upgraded to help him defeat the White Whale. Melville writes, “‘Ego non baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli!’ deliriously howled Ahab, as the malignant iron scorchingly devoured the baptismal blood” (Melville 532). Ahab performs a reverse baptism by drenching the weapon in pagan blood rather than holy water. His upgraded harpoon goes beyond the function as just a weapon, it symbolizes Ahab’s madness– his dedication to vengeance. By transforming the harpoon into a ritualistic object, Ahab’s obsession can be seen reshaping his reality. What was once just seen as a simple hunting tool turns into a weapon of mass destruction– an embodiment of his growing madness.

Ahab thirsts for the chaos to the point that he has their blacksmith forge an upgraded weapon of death to use for the great White Whale. He needs the most upgraded parts to give his weapon more strength. This is similar to video games where you customize your character’s weapon to the max so they can deal more damage for the boss battle. Ahab had given personalized upgrades for his harpoon, he says “Here are my razors– the best of steel; here, and make the barbs sharp as the needle-sleet of the Icy Sea” (Melville 532). His harpoon is more than just a preparation for a hunt, it is an extension of his madness. His weapon at first did not have all the upgrades but as his obsession deepens, his weapon does get upgraded. His fixation is being put into the weapon itself showing how obsession does not stay contained, that it in fact grows and intensifies until it consumes everything around it. Ahab forges a harpoon that is as destructive and extreme as his obsession, creating a superweapon to not only kill an animal but to kill a divine force, revealing how his anger and vengeance steered him away from reality.

After Ahab’s weapon gets its upgrade, he blesses it in Latin and the translation of what he says is “I do not baptize you in the name of the Father, but in the name of the Devil.” Ahab does a reverse blessing, a satanic-like ritual and calls upon the Devil rather than calling upon God.  He would rather get help and protection from evil forces rather than God’s strength against the White Whale. His fixation runs so deep that he corrupted the most sacred of ideas and instead of using faith to keep vengeance out of his heart, he uses it to keep it within. He abandons all forms of faith and chooses to turn to darkness itself to help destroy the whale. This further reflects that Ahab’s obsession goes beyond emotional and physical form but also spiritual and how it reveals the destruction obsession causes.

The reverse blessing continues and Ahab uses pagan blood from Queequeg, Tashtego and Daggoo. By using the pagan blood, it seals the deal for the blessing and shows how obsession has corrupted Ahab entirely. He is fully transforming his hunting weapon into a satanic weapon. Ahab made the conscious decision to use blood for the ritual that “scorchingly devoured the baptismal blood.” He is rejecting the idea of the Christian faith and instead chooses to side with the Devil. This reveals that Ahab’s unhealthy obsession has soared into insanity because he uses the pagan blood and believes the idea of the Devil is strong enough to defeat the Whale– he believes spiritual corruption is the only way that will lead him to his goal. 

Ahab’s obsession with Moby Dick has consumed him to the point of spiraling. The thought of killing and getting revenge on Moby Dick has completely taken over Ahab’s body, mind and soul, leading to his downfall. By devoting all of his energy to the White Whale, Ahab loses sight of everything else around him such as his and his crew’s safety and his responsibility as a captain. Every decision, thought and action is planned out carefully to reach the overall objective of destroying the White Whale. However, as Ahab gives his all into achieving the killing of Moby Dick, he becomes more unrecognizable and increasingly disconnected from reality as he crafts a tool of destruction that mirrors his corrupted mindset. Melville uses Ahab to show when a person allows vengeance to dominate their life and how it leads to self-destruction.