Category Archives: Essay 2

Short Essay: Close Reading 2

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In the beginning of Chapter 110, “Queequeg in his Coffin,” Melville writes of the crew of the Pequod doing a deep clean of the cargo hold. Looking for an oil leak, they take everything out from the bottom, where it looks like you could find traces of Captain Noah and placards “vainly warning the infatuated old world from the flood,” and spread the objects out on the deck. In page 519, Melville offers the reader a specific image of this, “Top-heavy was the ship as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head. Well was it that the Typhoons did not visit them.” By using figurative language to personify the ship, Melville stresses the role of the Pequod as a nation state and a representation of young America, which he critiques for its naiveness and unreliable foundation. 

The term “top-heavy” is of importance here, because it refers to something that is excessively heavy at the top and in great danger of falling over. Although it is being used to describe the ship, it is not in a literal sense, as it makes no sense that a ship would topple over from many objects on its deck. However, Melville is referring to how the ship can be “top-heavy” when we are reflecting on its structure and ideals, which he argues are precariously built. Further, the term evokes the image of shallowness, as it is referring to the surface of the ship (it’s heavy at the top, but light at the bottom). In other words, it looks promising but it lacks substance. If we are to continue to think about the Pequod as a nation state and representation of America, as Melville has prompted us to do in the past, we can take these two ideas that spring from the term in question (how something heavy at the top topples over and a system that is superficial) and apply them to the young country Melville is living in; a country that has grown powerful at a rapid pace, a bustling, wealthy, energetic state that has many unaddressed cracks at its core. These fractures at the bottom though, Melville warns, will cause them to fall apart sooner rather than later. 

In the next phrase, Melville prompts us to look at the ship “as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head.” This image points to the ship (and therefore the country of America) as a naive entity. A hungry student is often immature and disheveled but also hungry for knowledge and idealistic. Idealism, that unrealistic romanticism, is a central factor evidenced by Melville calling attention to the head (“all Aristotle in his head”). This young student (or young country) is well-meaning, but their worldview only goes so far and stays stuck in philosophy and abstractions, which brings us back to the lack of substance at the base. Furthermore, by specifically referencing Aristotle, one of the most important philosophers for Western culture, Melville is indicating that this critique is meant toward for this sector of the world; but the analogy being used is of a student (who is often a young person), which means he is specifically critiquing the United States, the newest country of the West, and the one he is living in. After the American Revolution, the country united under strong ideals such as freedom, democracy, and unalienable rights, but the remnants of oppression in colonial America were never addressed. Slavery was one of these heinous violations, and it was becoming a more pressing issue with every passing day as unrest grew in the country. In other words, there were these big, noble sentiments that were proclaimed as the base of our nation, but when one looked closely at them, it was clear they were not consistently applied for every person in the land. We declared life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but in a tangible sense, these things were at best questionably exercised and kept at a very shallow level. The country was young and shaky, and for Melville it showed in its structure but also its inconsistent and undependable ideals. Preceding this idea with a reference to Noah’s Ark and the story of the flood, it is Melville making a warning about shaky foundations and the importance of heeding this warning in a timely manner, before we are destroyed.

This passage ends with a final warning disguised in a metaphor. Melville writes “Well was it that the Typhoons did not visit them then.” For the Pequod, or any ship for that matter, being hit by a Typhoon, a powerful force of nature, would have been catastrophic. He is saying that they were lucky they were not suffering from this dangerous event, but the word “then” implies that Typhoons will eventually visit them. In other words, catastrophe is imminent. As mentioned before, the issue of slavery in America was coming to a head at the time that Melville was writing his novel. The states are divided between slave and free states, but the recent Fugitive Slave Act was forcing every person in the country to be directly compliant with this structure (free states were complicit even before that as they benefitted from slave labor, but it was easier to ignore because it was less direct). The Typhoons that Melville is referring to are starting to brew on the horizon. Civil unrest is growing and division is more visible every day. This issue of blatant injustice would eventually burst into an all out war. The choice of using Typhoons as an analogy works because it implies that injustice will naturally erupt into chaos, a powerful force that we cannot fight. Melville is warning that the Typhoons are coming to our country, and with our naiveness and shaky foundation, we are ill prepared to receive them.

The tone of this passage is foreboding and admonishing, but it is also relatively gentle. Melville believes in his country and holds it close to his heart, which is why he compares it to a starving student rather than an entity of evil. It seems like he has hope in the good intentions of the American people, and their ability to change if they heed his warnings. This passage is highly relevant to the current climate of our nation. As Melville believes, it is important to recognize both our good intentions and failings as a country in order to directly address injustice and remedy it, lest it destroy us from within.

Essay 2- It’s Madness Luv

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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.

Essay 2 – The Doubloon and the Limit of Ahab

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In chapter 99, we watch as the doubloon transforms before our very eyes; from a piece of gold worth sixteen dollars as means of motivating the crew to more of a legend, similar to the painting in chapter 3. This painting is one that is muddled and soot-covered from years of smoking and lack of care, but the painting allows the audience to play with meaning and figure out how to read the novel. It is the same with the doubloon, however, less so with the novel itself and more with the characters’ morality and current mental state.Ahab in particular is fascinating, allowing the audience to peer into his beliefs, lining up with the descriptions Ishmael had heard about before ever having met the wayward captain. Ahab walks the deck, the same path daily, and yet it is here, it is now, in which he has a religious experience—one in which he is at its centre. “There’s something ever egotistical in mountain-tops… and all other grand and lofty things…”, Ahab states, “The firm tower, that is Ahab… the courageous, the undaunted, and victorious fowl, that, too, is Ahab…” (Melville ???). In these declarations, the audience sees a man who would fight the sun, the man who is god-like, the man who is Ahab. At what point does perception become reality? In not only the minds of the crew, but also in the captain’s mind, Ahab is omnipotent—how far reaching is this power when the whale takes from the Ahab?

Childbirth, Midwifery, and Gendered Labor

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In Chapter 78: Cistern and Buckets, Tashtego falls into the tun of the whale while collecting Spermacetti. Ishmael describes his being rescued by Queequeg as a delivery, and thus the men of the Pequod are privy to the feminine line of work involved in birth, which men are often excluded from witnessing. This rare presence of femininity and work associated with women draws comparison between the difficulty of whaling and birth and delivery, two lines of work famously undervalued and yet foundations to society, one providing life, the other providing light. 

In this chapter, where Midwifery and the whaling industry meet, the comparisons of the difficulty between these two professions create a moment of solidarity between feminine work, childbirth and the dangerous work of whale harvesting at sea, traditionally done by men. Tashtego is placed in his position due to negligence but is blamed for his falling into the tun “Whether it was that Tashtego, that wild Indian, was so heedless and reckless as to let go for a moment his one-handed hold on the great cabled tackles suspending the head; or whether the place where he stood was so treacherous and oozy; or whether the Evil One himself would have it to fall out so, without stating his particular reasons;(374)” Much like in childbirth, the fault of a difficult pregnancy or delivery is placed not first on chance, but on the negligence of the mother. Ishmaels blames Tashtego, when infact Stubbs, Starbuck, And Ahab, those in charge of the industry and work on the boat, are responsible for endangering and not securing their crewmen.

Queequeg, of all characters, who is symbolic of the defiance of all presuppositions of the intelligence, bravery and capability of non-westerners (non-Europeans), is the one to perform this act of assisted birth and rescue. Not only is he special for the connection he forms with Ishmael, or of his selfless acts of bravery, but he is also a midwife; assisting in Tashtego’s watery rebirth from the Tun:

“He averred, that upon first thrusting in for him, a leg was presented; but well knowing that that was not as it ought to be, and might occasion great trouble;—he had thrust back the leg, and by a dexterous heave and toss, had wrought a somerset upon the Indian; so that with the next trial, he came forth in the good old way—head foremost. As for the great head itself, that was doing as well as could be expected (p.376).”

The way that Tashtego was first positioned at the entrance of the Tun/womb, feet first, is called a breech position, in which the baby is usually in danger of injury or death by suffocation. Even in modern medicine this is considered a difficult birthing position for the fetus and mother, often resulting in the injury of the mother and tearing of the cervix. A skilled midwife, or obstetrician, is capable of either carefully following through with this birth position, or helping to turn the baby. In other words, Queequeg’s delivery of Tashtego was a feat of obstetrics even for what is possible on land (and with human babies). This feat of a delivery is acknowledged: 

“And thus, through the courage and great skill in obstetrics of Queequeg, the deliverance, or rather, delivery of Tashtego, was successfully accomplished, in the teeth, too, of the most untoward and apparently hopeless impediments; which is a lesson by no means to be forgotten. Midwifery should be taught in the same course with fencing and boxing, riding and rowing(176).”

Midwifes, who hold a gendered job, done in seclusion with mothers in birth, and the difficulty of assisting in labor with the chance of two deaths looming over their heads, is acknowledged by Ishmael as a profession requiring as much bravery and braun as “fencing, boxing, riding, rowing” the lauded professions and past times of men. Queequegs delivery introduces the men onboard to the quick wit, and bravery required of a widwife, and for a moment, as they observe this wonder, the border between gendered labor, and those skills required in each are blurred, and the solidarity between these two professions is secured by the knowledge that both jobs are deserving of acknowledgment as heroic and legendary.

Essay 2: “The Ramadan”

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Near the end of chapter 17 titled “The Ramadan”, Ishmael takes a large step back from his accepting behavior and falls into his judgmental ways once again. Within this chapter, Queequeg participates in Ramadan, throughout the duration of Ramadan, Ishmael tries many things to get Queequeg to quit. However, once the sun rises, so does Ishmael’s hypocrisy. Through Ishmael’s use of condescending and hypocritical language, Melville uses Ishmael as a vessel to push forward a critique of Christianity. 

The struggle of acceptance is prominent in Ishmael throughout the novel, however these pages push further into Melville’s use of language to drive this critique of Christianity. Ishmael begins his thoughts with “I have no objection to any person’s religion” (94). But he then follows that with “so long as that person does not kill or insult any other person, because that other person don’t believe it also” (94). Melville begins Ishmael’s thoughts with a strong declaration of “no objection”, these words are phrased confidently and imply that he is accepting of all religions. The main focus is on the word “no” here, because that would mean that nothing, no matter how different, could make Ishmael object to another religion. Melville creates this moment of open-mindedness to set a reasonable tone to begin this passage, which then makes Ishmael’s condescension even more striking. Directly after his first claim, he follows up with a complete contradiction, stating “so long as” (94). This makes Ishmael’s first claim useless, as this shows that he will be open-minded and respectful of another person’s religion, but only if it follows the guidelines to what he believes to be mortal and right. For Melville, Ishmael is the representation of Christianity here and when the phrase “So long as” is shared it decides that there are conditions and limits to Christian acceptance. This moment also puts Ishmael in the position of someone who gets to decide what is acceptable within a religion. With this small phrase Melville highlights Christians ideas that will claim they are inviting of all religions, until they encounter one that does not fit into their worldview. While he also pushes how comfortable they are with the idea that they get to make decisions that are seen as the only correct way. Within these words the idea of acceptance completely collapses into judgment, revealing how Melville uses Ishmael and his contradictory language to critique Christianity. 

As Ishmael begins his attempt to put conditions on his acceptance of religion, his hypocritical and condescending language becomes even more obvious, as he says, “that person does not kill or insult any other person, because that other person don’t believe it also. But when a man’s religion becomes really frantic” (Melville 94). The use of the word “kill” here introduces Ishmael taking his thoughts to the extreme. By using this dramatic term, Ishmael is imagining the worst of others and puts out this idea of non Christian religions being dangerous. This word holds importance in Melville’s critique because it shows Ishmael, the representation of Christianity, being falsely accepting of other religions and casting his own biases onto those that he does not understand. Within these lines, the word “But” is the turning point that drives Ishmael’s hypocrisy completely over the edge. With this word alone, Melville is telling us that everything before it is unstable and now holds little to no meaning. When Ishmael says “But” it becomes apparent that he never meant his original claim of “no objection” and that he has completely hypocritical thoughts, as well as a feeling of superiority over the idea that he gets the right to judge for the simple reason that this is not something he would have done. Through this single word Melville, shows how quickly Ishmael’s accepting words fall into condescension that perfectly demonstrates the novel’s critique of Christianity. 

The final part of this passage is where Ishmael’s true thoughts are completely released  and the condescending language is the most prominent, “But when a man’s religion becomes really frantic; when it is a positive torment to him: and, in fine, makes this earth of ours an uncomfortable inn to lodge in: this I think it high time to take that individual aside and argue the point with him” (94). The line right before has Ishmael saying that he does not object to another’s religion and that one of the only reasons he would is if they were to insult someone else for the simple reason of not believing the same thing. With this Melville highlights Ishmael’s hypocritical nature, as he does exactly what he says should not be done by insulting Queequeg’s religion. The words “really frantic” are powerful in showing that right after he expresses that one should not judge another’s religion for the sole reason of not having the same beliefs, Ishmael describes Queequeg’s religion with a word that means wild, extreme, and uncontrolled. Through Ishmael’s words, Melville critiques the ways that Christianity can be seen imposing their own standards and actions on others while claiming that they are accepting of everything. As he continues Ishmael reflects on Ramadan as a “torment”, with this he is describing Queequeg’s devotion to his religion as something that is too extreme and punishing. With the use of this word, Ishmael creates his own reality where Queequeg’s faith is excessive and irrational, even though his friend was extremely happy after he had completed Ramadan. This word choice by Melville perfectly illustrates Ishmael’s hypocrisy and condescension by having him heavily criticize something that he earlier claimed to have “no objection” towards. By saying that Queequeg’s devotion to his religion is a “torment”, he is placing himself higher above Queequeg and giving himself the entitlement to judge something that he does not understand. Another phrase in this passage that holds such a powerful showing of Ishmael’s hypocrisy is, “makes this earth of ours an uncomfortable” (94). When reflecting on the words he uses together, the hypocrisy is extremely evident, the word “ours” implies that this earth is for everyone and once again brings up the feeling of acceptance for everyone. However he once again shows this idea that he has a superior idea of what is correct when he uses the word “uncomfortable”. Who would find this practice to be uncomfortable? The people of “our” earth? While that could not be true because that statement extends to many people that are also devoted to Ramadan and other religious practices. The practice of other religions here does not “makes this earth of ours an uncomfortable” (94) place to be, it feels that way to Ishmael because his religion has been seen as superior and he stands in the belief that his standards are correct. Melville uses Ishmael’s condescending language to demonstrate this idea of a conditional acceptance from Christianity. 

In this passage, Melville shows how quickly Ishmael’s words of acceptance turn into judgment. The use of Ishmael’s language reveals that he is not truly open-minded, but that he believes he has the right to decide what is seen as wrong and right in someone else’s religion. Through Ishmael’s hypocritical and condescending language in this passage, Melville is able to push forward his critique of Christianity. 

Essay 2: Short essay

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In chapter 113,” The Forge”, Melville transforms Ahab’s pursuit towards Moby Dick into a haunting, obsessive and desire of defying the divine. In this chapter, Ahab’s newly forged harpoon is his last solution to everything that’s become of his obsession, he makes it a symbol of both his vengeance and doom. In the quote, “ This done, pole, iron, and rope-like the Three Fates-…” Melville depicts the harpoon with the myth of “The Three Fates” who represent life and death, but also Ahab’s demise. Through the mythic imagery, sound, tone, and madness, Melville reveals Ahab’s madness and defiance against the divine and transforms him into the victim, but also the pursuer of his own consequences of his actions towards desire of wanting to control something that is beyond the realism of human nature. Melville wants us, the audience, to know the obsession and the definition of rage.

The connection towards the “pole, iron, and rope” to “the Three Fates” connects Ahab’s weapon to Greek Mythology, the story of the three goddesses, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, who are known as the deciders of the past, present, and future, they cut the thread of life, the human life they decide on how long you get to live. The pole is the beginning that holds everything together, this is the moment where Ahab’s journey begins. The iron represents giving the weapon its shape, length, and the purpose of the weapon’s destination. And the rope presents us the connection between the whale and the ship, which it also demonstrates on how rope kills whalers like snapping, entangles and drags men under the sea. It represents the thread of life and how it easily can snap you in an instant. This whole thing is a cycle for Ahab, his destiny has been already fulfilled and he sealed his doom and the crew’s.

“Ivory log, and the sound of the hickory pole, both hollowly ringing along every plank,”(533),  the sounds of the leg echoing through the ship creates an eerie, echoing soundscape. His presence is eerie and hollow like a ghost roaming the ship he’s pavemented to. Its sounds symbolize emptiness and death. Ahab’s movements are dominant and doom which gives us a reminder on who he is and his whole concept of revenge in the story. He makes the ship feel melancholic, empty and dark. Melville is already giving us hints, “ piteous” “wretched” and “melancholy” using a tone of tone which it obviously gives us a foreshadowing of the ship’s doom. It slowly becomes the sound of destruction of the ship and of Ahab too. Melville demonstrates in this quote,” Oh Pip! Thy wretched laugh ….”, it shows how the laugh of Pip is a mockery towards everything around mimicking Ahab like a mirror reflecting on his doom and slowly uncontrollable madness. 

Ultimately, Melville’s portrayal of Ahab in Chapter 113, reveals about a man who’s beyond the limits of reality and seeking the imagery of a realm beyond the human limits, by sealing his destiny long before the final battle between him and Moby Dick. Through these images, Melville demonstrates Ahab’s attempt of command by taking the role of a God, who’s untouchable and in control of everything around him. Melville demonstrates to us the consequences of men who pursue the urge of power, control and rage.

Essay two

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In page 532 of chapter 113, The Forge, we see the full manifestation of Ahab’s obsession for revenge and the lengths that he is willing to go to assuage his madness. The text says of Ahab, “No, No–no water for that, I want it of the true death-temper…Three punctures were made in the heathen flesh, and the White Whale’s barbs were even tempered. ‘Ergo non Baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli!’ Deliriously howled Ahab, as the malignant iron scorchingly devoured the baptismal blood.” There is a very overt subversion of Christian tradition that critiques the institution of power. Its effect is that it calls out the institution of christianity as self righteous. This is a valuable commentary especially in a moment in time in which christianity is being used both to argue against the practice of slavery and for the continuation of slavery.

It is significant that Ahab opposes the tempering of the harpoon with water. Water is symbol of cleansing and purifying, in the tradition of baptism it symbolizes the cleansing of a persons sins. Ahab, however, is not interested in having a weapon clean of sin; that is not the purpose of the weapon. Instead he wants a pact of violence symbolized in blood. This could have been the full extent of the act but Ahab does not want the harpoon tempered with his blood. He wants it done so with pagan blood. This could be a deliberate affront to the institution of christianity which automatically see inherent evil in paganism but the book makes it clear that this is not necessarily Melville’s stance on the subject. Though Ishmael considers himself a Christian man, his best friend on the ship is the pagan Queequeg. What we have seen throughout the text is that these three harpooners come from distinct cultures that are not inherently evil, they are simply different. It is Ahab’s direct action of tempering the harpoon in pagan blood that ascribes malice to the whole act. The reader could also read this as an act of exploitation. Ahab picks them out because they are the best harpooners in the ship and he wants his instrument imbued with the blood of the most gifted and so he makes a demand of their blood. In fact, the text says “the malignant iron schorchingly devoured the baptismal blood.” Blood is also a symbol for life or the soul so in a sense, Ahab is devouring these men for their bodily skill in whale hunting. Similarly, the black and brown body is being exploited and devoured in American land for the thirst of wealth and power.


Essay 2: Forged in Blood

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In Chapter 113, “The Forge”, Ahab uses the blood of the harpooners to forge his harpoon, claiming that he is baptising the weapon in the name of the devil. He creates this harpoon specifically for Moby Dick, intent on killing the whale with it. Through the bloody baptism of the harpoon by Ahab, a binary model of religion is created, bringing into question how religion is used to create ideas of good and evil. 

The blacksmith creates Ahab’s harpoon, and then tells Ahab to grab the water to temper the barbs, but Ahab refuses, insisting on using blood as the temper liquid. From everyone on the ship, Ahab chooses to use the blood of the three harpooners, whom he calls the pagans: “‘No, no–no water for that; I want it of the true death temper… Tashtego, Queequeg, Daggoo! What say ye, pagans! Will ye give me as much blood as will cover this barb?’… a cluster of dark nods replied, Yes” (p.532). In this passage, Ahab calls out the harpooners, who do not conform to the Christian religion and have their own beliefs, to become part of his religion of Moby Dick. Ahab continues on to say: “‘Ego non baptizo te in nomine patris, sed in nomine diaboli’” (p.532), which means ‘I do not baptize you in the name of the father, but in the name of the devil’. With this verse, Ahab makes the harpooners the sacred liquid of his religion, as they are the ones who take the first strikes at the whales. Since they are the initial point of contact, they are the most important in Ahab’s hunt for Moby Dick. By choosing the harpooners, who are considered to be on the lower part of the hierarchy of the ship, Ahab creates a group of saints in his religion from the lower rank pagans. 

Another way that this binary model is created is through the use of blood in a baptism. Baptism is usually a sacred ritual in the Christian faith used to signify entry of a person into the religion. In addition, water is used for baptism, not blood. Ahab clearly states his intention to baptize the harpoon intended for Moby Dick in blood, as he cries his verse in Latin, followed by: “Deliriously howled Ahab, as the malignant iron scorchingly devoured the baptismal blood” (p.532). In this scene, Ahab takes the blood of the harpooners to forge his weapon, and the language used creates an uneasy, evil feeling. Ahab and the weapon transform into different entities—as Ahab howls he becomes animal-like, monstrous, and the harpoon becomes anthropomorphized as it scorchingly devours the blood offered by Ahab. In this scene, Ahab is submitting to the weapon in a baptismal worship, surrounded by malevolent connotations, such as ‘malignant’ and ‘devoured’. This tone implies an evil nature around Ahab’s ritual, and creates a bootleg version of Christianity. 

In addition, the choice to use blood separates Ahab’s religion from the natural world, providing further implication of evil. We are born in water, we are made of water, and this boat is, quite literally, surrounded by water. However, instead of making use of this natural element, Ahab restricts his ritual to humans, sealing himself and his practice away from nature. 

By using the structure of Christianity to create his harpoon, Ahab fabricates an evil religion, but it is only one that seems this way because of the binary model it fits into opposed to Christianity. Had there not been replications of Christianity and malevolent connotations, this scene would not have held such defiance toward the Christian faith and ideals. 

The use of Latin in this scene further draws a direct parallel to Christianity. Latin holds historical importance in the Christian faith, and by using Latin, Ahab creates a mockery of the religion. Not only is he using a holy language, but he is also using it to worship the Devil, a symbol of evil in Christianity. Ahab chooses to use the Devil as his instrument of worship because he perceives what he is doing as evil and chooses to defile Christianity. This further shows the ability of religion to be used in a binary sense of good and evil, as certain words can evoke feelings of evil or wrongdoing, like ‘the Devil’. 

This scene draws attention to the structures that religion, especially Christianity, builds. In this passage, Ahab’s religion is contrasted to Christianity, and becomes the evil half because of the binary nature created in their similarities. With the use of pagan saints, blood baptism, and Latin, Ahab assumes multiple dimensions of Christianity and purposefully bends the faith to fit his own goals. This creates a dualistic nature with Christianity being good and Ahab’s religion being malevolent. This is important because Ahab’s religion only appears in this negative light because of the contrast with Christianity. Without this original structure, this scene would not seem religious, or perhaps not necessarily evil, but driven by other intentions. 

Essay #2

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Chapter 123 of the novel Moby Dick, titled The Musket, is a chapter about the character Starbuck and his internal battle over the morality of direct versus indirect action and him succumbing to his own complicity. Towards the end of the chapter, Melville writes the passage, “The yet levelled musket shook like a drunkard’s arm; Starbuck seemed wrestling with an angel; but turning from the door, he placed the death-tube in its rack and left the place.” This passage to me is one that exemplifies and concludes the entire internal and external battle that Starbuck had been having, not just in this chapter, but throughout the entire novel.

“The yet levelled musket shook like a drunkard’s arm”. This as the introduction to this passage about decision is extremely impactful because it shows a more external feeling within this chapter about an internal battle. The weapon shaking in his hands becomes an externalization of this internal crisis Starbuck has been having. The diction in this passage is so poignant and purposeful. Melville calling the musket “levelled” represents the fact that Starbuck still has yet to abandon the choice of killing Ahab completely. However, that is juxtaposed within the same sentence with the use of the simile of a “drunkard’s arm”. This simile suggests the ideas and feelings of disorientation and the body acting on its own accord. It also evokes a feeling of shame from the readers, making it seem as if Starbuck already feels the guilt of the action in which he is contemplating, before even doing it one way or another. This internal battle and the choice he makes is sort of the moment in which his extreme complicity begins. When he begins to tremble, he is demonstrating the inability to be decisive and make a choice that isn’t necessarily self serving. This truly is what leads to the demise of the voyage. 

“Starbuck seemed wrestling with an angel”. This section is a reference to the biblical story of Jacob wrestling an angel. This story is one that represents someone letting go of both their own self-reliance and their weakness and becoming one with God. I think this is such an interesting and impactful reference because it evokes an image within the readers of a sort of divine test for Starbuck. It shows Starbuck fighting with his own moral identity and weakness, the internal battle of remaining obedient and under control or starting a mutiny and being responsible, and the decision of which one is necessarily good or bad. The ‘angel’ that Starbuck is fighting is both his own personal conscience that is wanting him to stop Ahab, knowing that if they continue it will lead to their demise, and the moral and legal law when it comes to murder. This quote and this struggle truly dramatizes the moral question of what exactly is good and what exactly is bad. Is him directly killing Ahab worse than him indirectly killing everyone else by remaining complicit as Ahab leads the crew to their demise? Him fighting the angel represents him being unsure of what to do and this inability to choose is what in the end makes him remain complicit. His need to have a clean moral conscience and need to have something be right or wrong is what truly holds him back. The religious imagery that Melville utilizes is so impactful because it really represents to the readers how the moral correctness that Starbuck possesses itself becomes a fatal decision. 

“He placed the death-tube in its rack, and left the place.” The diction in this section is also so extremely impactful. By calling the musket a “death-tube” instead of just its name, it shifts the tone for the readers from the gun being just a practical tool to being a representation of morality and mortality. Starbuck choosing to place the gun back is a gesture of surrender but physically and morally. He willfully relinquishes his agency and this act is a physical representation of him giving into his obedience to Ahab. By placing the gun back, Starbuck knows both his and the rest of the crew’s fate and is both complicit and resigned to see it through. This is the exact moment where Starbuck’s complicit behavior becomes something that is concrete and unwavering. By returning the weapon and not committing the act of murder, he lands the final blow of giving the power back to Ahab completely. His decision shows that he is choosing the comfort of hierarchy and indirect action rather than the courage of making a change. The simplicity of the end of the quote saying “and left the place” really just demonstrates how resigned to his own fate he has become. By simply calling the room a “place” it leaves room for this to represent not only Starbuck leaving the room, but also leaving his own responsibility, morality, and sense of justice behind with the musket. Something that Melville makes very apparent to the readers with his characterization of Starbuck and the rest of the crew is that not being able to stop evil when you can is a direct action of participating in the evil. By choosing to walk away and not take action, Starbuck remains a complicit participant and essentially is the one who seals the fate of the Pequod.

Essay 2

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In chapter 100 of Moby Dick, there is an introduction of another captain who also lost a limb from the whale Moby Dick. In his case however, the limb that he lost was his arm not his leg like Ahab did. During the discussion of the infamous sperm whale, it becomes evident to the other captain and outsiders that Ahab’s anger towards the whale is very irrational and crazed. Melville uses the contradiction of the two captains who share a similar experience but yet have a different reaction towards the whale as a learning lesson. In which two people can go through the same experiences yet the mindset in which they have will be determined from how they feel they were affected but that experience. 

To begin, Melville introduces another captain, Captain Boomer, as a man who also lost a limb from the Moby Dick as well. However for this character, the lost limb is from the upper half of the body. Losing an arm is different from losing a leg, both tragic of course, but imagine being pushed down without a leg? It would be quite difficult to get up without help. Now imagine being pushed down without an arm. It would seem to be a lot easier to get back up because the strength from your other limbs will help in returning back to stability. That is exactly what Ahab lost, stability, not only physically but mentally. During the discussion of the capturing of the sperm whale he asks the captain boomer if he was able to catch him the second time he saw him, to which he responds, “Didn’t want to try to; ain’t one limb enough? What should I do without this other arm?”(481)  Captain Boomer cannot fathom why he would want to try again because he could risk losing another arm and to be without one arm is already bad enough. He emphasizes this to Ahab as is it something that he can relate to and is wondering why he should jeopardize himself like that again for he knows that in comparison to the bite of a whale, he simply cannot compete. 

Captain Boomer continues with, “And I’m thinking Moby Dick doesn’t bite so much as he swallows.” (481) Boomer believes that the bite form the whale is not within the same context of satisfactory as it might be for other animals and as it is for humans when eating their favorite food. If the whale had wanted to hurt a human with intention it would have gone in for a second bite, it could have easily devoured the human considering the difference in size. With the back up of his crewmate Bunger saying “…it is quite impossible for him to completely digest even a man’s arm? And he knows it too. So that what you take for the White Whale’s malice is only his awkwardness.”(481) Bunger further attests to the belief that the whale’s bites are not ill intended, for his “awkwardness” is just being a whale. It is part of being a whale and should have been taken into consideration when whaling. Apart from adapting to the ocean, whalers are to consider the living beings in their home. The ocean is the home of the whale and the men on the boat are invading their boundary by not only being there but in their attempt to capture them for human benefit. 

The difference between these men and Ahab’s beliefs is evident through their conversation and during the end of the conversation Ahab still insists that “But he will still be hunted, for all that. What is best alone, that accursed thing is not always what least allures.”(482) Ahab feels a huge amount of anger towards “thing” and is compelling him like a magnet to find him and punish the whale. For Ahab to say “still be hunted, for all that.” even after the other captain shared his experience with the whale it shows that the conversation did not have any affect on him. He did not get any clarity to stand back on his revenge, if anything it only amplified it for him. Ahab decided to add the loss of limb from another captain to the mental list of reasons why is seeking this whale. His anger is so strong that Bunger even points out, “this man’s blood—bring the thermometer!—it’s at the boiling point!—his pulse makes these planks beat!—sir!”(482) These men are terrified to even see the anger vibrating off Ahab just from talking about the creature. The captains do not see eye to eye in regard to this situation and while one of them shares compassion for the whale and is at peace with not pursuing the capture of Moby Dick, Ahab is not on the same page. Melville captures the feelings on paper in a way to make the readers understand just how much of a difference the circumstance can be for each individual regardless of a shared experience.

 There is an irony of this chapter where humans express pushing the boundaries of the beings that live in water and when they face the consequences such as the bite, a naturality of being a whale, some feel angered while others don’t. Even though the two characters went through similar experiences does not mean that they will react the same to the situation. Especially considering the circumstances for Ahab who lost a leg and cannot stand on his own without the help of someone else or with his ivory leg whereas Boomer can stand on his own even with the loss of his arm. The instability is evident not only in Ahab’s physical but also his mentality. Disability is a very difficult matter to deal with and it can evidently take a toll on one’s mental health, driving them to madness and anger.