Tag Archives: ahab

Ahab’s Challenge

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In chapter 36, “The Quarter-Deck,” Melville almost literalizes the phrase “speak of the devil.” After Ahab said that he would reward the sailor who saw a white whale matching Moby Dick’s description, Ahab commanded, “Skin your eyes for him, men; look sharp for white water; if ye see but a bubble, sing out.” Shortly thereafter, the harpooners Tashtego, Daggoo, and Queequeg spotted the white whale Ahab had described. Ahab’s phrasing also felt as if he were summoning the whale itself, like he knew it was there. The sequence of events mirrors the phrase “speak of the devil” because almost immediately after Ahab described it, Moby Dick appeared. In other words, Melville turned a familiar phrase into a narrative device.

A ship controlled by vengeance

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Captain Ahab’s own quest for vengeance has seeped it’s way into the minds of the rest of the crew members, deepening their own hatred for Moby Dick and further showing the influence that Ahab has over the men in the Pequod. The beginning of Chapter 41 offers us more insight into the feelings of animosity that the crew members of the Pequod are feeling towards Moby Dick: “I, Ishmael, was one of that crew; my shouts had gone up with the rest; my oath had been welded with theirs; and stronger I shouted, and more did I hammer and clinch my oath, because of the dread in my soul. A wild, mystical, sympathetical feeling was in me; Ahab’s quenchless feud seemed mine. With greedy ears I learned the history of that murderous monster against whom I and all the others had taken our oaths of violence and revenge” (Melville 194). Moby Dick takes up the mind of both Ahab and all his men on board the ship, consuming them in the feeling of vengeance. Ahab’s own personal quarrel with Moby Dick has managed to become everyone’s problem, with Ishmael claiming that he and the rest of the crew have taken an oath of “violence and revenge” against the whale, not stopping at anything to get their way.

This shows how influential Captain Ahab is. We have already been introduced to him as an almost mythical-like character, one that cannot be defined in anyway you would a normal person. His own need for revenge has became a need for everyone on the Pequod, and his ability to influence his men is astounding. Ahab is such a larger-than-life character, it is no surprise that many of the men fall into the trap of listening to his orders and hearing his stories which purpose is to fill them with anger. It is certainly interesting to see the character Ahab, especially today where we see a lot of similarities with many prominent figures in America.

It’ll be interesting to see how far Ahab is able to go with influencing the crew members of the Pequod, and how far they willing to listen and feel the same anger and need for vengeance that he does. In their minds, Moby Dick is the cause of all their pain and suffering.

Ahab vs. Moby Dick

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In Chapter 36, The Quarter-Deck, it is noticeable to the reader that Ahab is blindly seeking revenge against Moby Dick for the loss of his leg. I use the word “blindly” in a broad manner, not just referring to Ahab’s dismissal of danger and death of himself while seeking out Moby Dick, but also for that of his crew. As Ahad gathers the crew around in a sort of sacrificial toast, the text reads, “…the bloodshot eyes of the prairie wolves meet the eye of their leader, ere he rushes on their head in the trail of this bison; but alas! only to fall into the hidden snare of the Indian” (179)

Thinking realistically, wolves are keen and expert hunters, reflecting Ahab and the crew’s years of experience as whalers and harpooners. However, blinded by the bloodthirsty revenge to kill Moby Dick, Ahab is set to fall into the hands of the very thing he seeks out, or the inhabitants that live alongside them. While the rest of the crew blindly submits to Ahab’s orders to hunt down and kill Moby Dick, Starbuck is the only character who noticeably resists Ahab’s vengeful and problematic proposal. But, like the loyalty of a pack of wolves following their leader in a hunt, Starbuck submits to the will of his captain, allowing for the safety of himself and his crewmates to be jeopardized for the sake of bloodthirsty vengeance.

Ravaged and Plundered

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In chapter 35 when describing the languidness induced by the mast-head Melville brings up an interesting word: Pantheist. Pantheist, meaning someone who believes that God is identical with the universe or nature. Immediately I was drawn towards the characterization of Ahab. One who is described as god-like and numerously referenced through the lens of nature: “a maned sea lion, last of the grisly bears, leader of a pack of wolves” etc. He is this pantheistic god-like piece of nature. But in his rallying speech of hate he cries out “I’d strike the sun if it insulted me.” He hates the whale, and he hates nature. But, he is nature. He hates himself, hates what he has become: a beast, a “pegging lubber”. Turned into a beast by a beast. And what a beast it is: “white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and crooked jaw… three holes punctured in his starboard fluke… and corkscrewed harpoons lie twisted and wrenched in him.” The whale sounds demonic. But it is a true representation of industrialized nature. A beautiful creature that has been ravaged by the need to fuel our fiendish industry. Staked and plundered. And more than a representation of nature, the whale is also a representation of another demonic white beast. One that has taken away mobility and freedom from a group of people as Moby Dick has taken mobility away from Ahab. This frenzied quest of a boat full of savages, “noble savages”, and northern men chasing this “white-headed”, seemingly immortal whale is Melville’s representation of a war against slavery. It is a premonition of the looming civil war. Is it backwards to say then, that the hate in Ahab’s heart is a warning against the hatred of the other or the monsters society creates? Perhaps it is a warning to slave owners, of the hate that grows in the heart of the cruelly treated and the vengeance that they will exact.

Jesus and the Last Supper (Week 8: 34-42)

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As our main characters, Ishmeal and Queequeg finally board the ship, we eagerly await the reveal of the mystical captain Ahab. Thus far in the novel, Ahab has only been introduced through the perspective of other characters—but has yet to be witnessed in person.

 His character not being seen but only speculated about, creates a mysterious and intriguing aura that suggests the importance of Ahab as a character to the story’s ultimate driving direction. I would even go as far as to say Ahab is a representation of the Prophet that will guide the crew to their destiny on their journey through the ocean. Much like Jesus Christ guiding the direction of the religious experience for his disciples. However, this ultimately leads me to believe that his fate, and that of his crew will end in the same tragic style of the death of Jesus.   

This is hinted at in the subtle allusion to biblical text and the relation to his status and royalty. The power of God is built upon faith, and in many aspects, this is similar to the role of a ship captain—the crew must put their faith in the captain’s ability to lead them. 

IF we consider the Ocean as a sort of religious experience, it opens the possibility for those who are conduits of this experience to guide this journey. In this case the captain becomes a prophet dedicated to the ocean, a status that is indirectly above regality. 

“He who is the rightly regal and intelligent spirits presides over his own private dinner table of invited guests, that man’s unchallenged power and dominion of individual influences for the time; that man’s royalty of state transcends Beshazzar’s [King of Bablyon]” (162). 

This sentiment encapsulates the idea of the captain holding a higher rank than even that of royalty. Considering that royalty is a God given state, it positions God above the royals—and in this sentiment, the captain is above them as well. The language used to describe this state is also specifically biblical, showing that the power is that of a spiritual nature as well as the hierarchy of roles. This situates the status of captain as being that of something godly but not all power. As the story progresses, Ahab will be the one to lead them on the hunt—with the power to steer the direction of their destinies. The question now, is whether he’ll lead them towards glory and heaven or hardship and hell.

Chapter Thirty-Four

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In Chapter 34, Ishmael gives us a glimpse into the dining hierarchy under Ahab’s silent, oppressive presence. He writes, “Nor did they lose much hereby; in the cabin was no companionship; socially, Ahab was inaccessible.” (166) Melville uses this sentence to critique isolation and the destructive nature of obsession through Ahab and the Pequod. Interestingly, even though the crewmates are excluded from the fellowship with their captain, Ishmael’s tone implies that this is not a loss at all. The “no companionship” in the cabin transforms what should be a place of command and unity into a symbol of emptiness and emotional deprivation. The dining room, typically a space for conversation and community, becomes a physical manifestation of Ahab’s psychological and physical distance. 

Describing Ahab as socially inaccessible underscores the self-imposed isolation that defines Ahab’s character. Ahab’s distance is not only physical but also psychological since he has withdrawn from his own crew and his own humanity. His social inaccessibility reflects his obsession with the white whale, an obsession that leaves no room for empathy or connection with others. Melville presents Ahab’s leadership here as a state of alienation rather than communion. Ahab’s authority separates him from his crew, transforming leadership into loneliness. His inability to connect with his crew reveals the futility of control built on obsession rather than understanding. 

Melville critiques not only Ahab but the hierarchy structures that create power with detachment. The crewmates’ lack of companionship with their captain mirrors the moral decay of authority leaders isolating themselves from humanity instead of uniting. This brief passage highlights Melville’s vision of isolation — a loneliness born from obsession, destined to consume both the leader and his crew.