Tag Archives: Moby-Dick

Of love and learning

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The very things that Ahab denied allowed Ishmael to survive the sinking of the Pequod – love and learning. For what could have kept the Rachel near but the unending search for the lost boy, for the love of a parent with a missing child? And what but love drove Queequeg to stave off his impending death so that his coffin can be the thing that saves Ishmael? Back in Chapter 10, Ishmael declared that “we were bosom friends; he would gladly die for me, if need should be.” (57) When Queequeg’s death was imminent, when his final moments neared, he changed his mind about dying, stating that “he had just recalled a little duty ashore, which he was leaving undone.” (523)

Without a doubt, that “little duty” was his pact with Ishmael, as he proceeded to use this coffin as a sea chest for all his earthly belongings – as was promised with their declaration – and he set about the journey aware of its inevitable end. Queequeg took the time “carving the lid with all manner of grotesque figures and drawings; and it seemed that hereby he was striving, in his rude way, to copy parts of the twisted tattooing on his body.” (524) This coffin, in turn, took the place of Queequeg. He carved it to use as a stand-in, when he knew he would likely not be able to keep his word.

I include learning in my analysis because Ahab never took the time to learn about anyone – he assumed that all he knew was all he needed to know, allowing his monomaniacal focus to hold sway over all aspects of his life. This meant that he did not try to learn about Queequeg beyond the fact that he was a cannibal. He did not try to learn from the misfortune of others that his own demise could be more than “the gallows.” Ultimately, learning from Starbuck or even listening to Stubb regarding Captain Gardiner’s request could have changed the shape of his life. Yet, because he did not, he was doomed to a predetermined fate of his own making.

Ahab – a brother of the sea

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In Chapter 116, “The Dying Whale,” we see that the Pequod has killed four whales, one of which was killed by Ahab’s boat. In this chapter Ahab opens up more about his own turmoil and inner thoughts, what he believes in and what he worships. While killing the the whale, he notices that the whales always turn their heads towards the sun, as if they were worshipping it in their final moments; “He too worships fire; most faithful, broad, baronial vassal of the sun!” (Melville 539). Ahab then goes on to discuss the similarities between both living things on land and in sea. This part of the novel almost feels like I’m reading a Shakespeare play, I can feel and understand the emotions that Ahab is feeling, his deep feelings of connection with the ocean. Ahab tells us that he may have been born on sea, but he belongs on the water; “Born of earth, yet suckled by the sea; though hill and valley mothered me, ye billows are my foster-brothers!” (Melville 540).

I think the purpose that this chapter is serving is to remind us that both man and whale, livings things on land and living things in the sea, are all connected and the same. A whale may worship the sun, the same way a human might’ve in ancient times. We are no better than those animals that live in the ocean, they are our brothers and sisters of this earth, and it is important for us to recognize that. However, of course, this doesn’t stop Ahab and the rest of the Pequod from killing whales for money, perhaps showing the superiority complex that humans have developed.

Ebb and Flow

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In Chapter 111 on page 525, Melville wrote “The waves should rise and fall, and ebb and flow unceasingly…” It was part of a sentence, but what caught my eye is the word “should.” Why “should”? Why not “will” or “can”? But as I read further, I realized that this explains the inevitability of life itself. It is the only part of the full sentence that sounds rhythmic, like how waves themselves move. The word “unceasingly” simply means “eternal.” In other words, the waves move eternally. Adding the implication, Melville presenting the sea as a symbol of constant motion also becomes how life is in constant motion.

“The waves should rise and fall” suggests the ups and downs of life. It’s basically not normal for an entire lifespan to be completely calm and serene. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be happy. We have emotions so we can experience life like a rollercoaster, or rather a storm in a voyage. Mistakes are made to teach. Failures and setbacks show flaws. You can strive for the calm and serene, but the journey to get there will never be.

“Ebb and flow” suggests a cycle of experiences. Many things can restart, many things can be relived. The most vivid example is the damning fact Moby Dick teaches you how to read after already knowing how to read. The phrase “ebb and flow” shows how life teaches: even with everything you have learned, there’s still thousands more to know.

Why Melville consciously chose “should” and nothing else is because life “should” rise and fall, ebb and flow, as you grow as a person.

White, the color of absence and death, in flame

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Throughout Moby-Dick, there has been a kind of attention to the number 3. There are 3 mates for the ships, 3 mast heads to the ship, and the 3 peaks featured on the doubloon, but there are also supernatural connections to 3 sprinkled through out the novel, such as the blood of 3 harpooners to temper Ahab’s barb, the 3 fires alight the top of the mast heads, as well as 3 people prophesizing Ahab’s demise: the prophet, Gabriel from the Jeroboam, and the Parsee.

This is a number present in the Bible – the holy trinity – and even Pythagoras, a great philosopher of Greek History that has been mentioned at least once in the novel, believed that the number three was special. One such reason was that it is the only number where the numbers that come before it add perfectly to it. Another reason, and one that I link more to this section of the novel than his other reasons, was that it seems to reflect our world on a conceptual level – beginning, middle, end; birth, life, death.

In the chapter, The Candles, this number is repeated and emphasized as the spectral lights cast brilliant shadows onto the ship below.

“All the yard arms were tipped with a pallid fire; and touched at each tri-pointed lightening-rod-end with three tapering white flames, each of the three tall masts was silently burning in that sulphurous air, like three gigantic wax tapers before an altar.” (549)

This all comes two chapters out from Parsee’s prediction of Ahab’s death by hemp rope, after Ahab calls it a strange sight the idea of a hearse and its plumes floating over the ocean. For reference, hearse plumes were ostrich feathers that would adorn hearse carriages at the time, signaling the departed’s wealth and status. Having 5-6 plumes meant you were wealthy, more meant that you were truly rich. In reference to this, the flames are described as pallid and tapering. What are the flames but Ahab’s own funeral plumes, floating atop the ocean he so desperately searches for his monomaniacal need for revenge?

Essay 1 – The Dangers of a Charismatic Leader

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In the novel, Moby-Dick, author Herman Melville is critiquing charismatic leaders through the character Captain Ahab, who represents the dangers of an influential leader that is filled with anger, vengeance, hubris, and a destructive obsession. This is seen throughout the novel with his ability to steer the crew members of the Pequod to have the same animosity towards Moby Dick, which in turn fuels both his and their need for vengeance against the whale. Captain Ahab’s ability to influence and disrupt the natural state of democracy on the ship shows how leaders like himself are dangerous and a threat to society.

In Chapter 36, titled “The Quarter-Deck,” Captain Ahab uses his charisma to take control over the Pequod, and establish himself as the de facto leader of the ship. This is seen when he offers the men a gold ounce to whoever spots Moby Dick: “[Ahab] advanced towards the main-mast with the hammer uplifted in one hand, exhibiting the gold with the other, and with a high raised voice exclaiming: ‘Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever of ye raises me that white-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke – look ye, whosoever of ye raises that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce my boys!’ ‘Huzza! huzza!’ cried the seamen” (Melville 176). This shows how easy it is for Captain Ahab to influence the men on the Pequod, and to put himself in a position in which they will do what he tells them to without second guessing it. What was originally supposed to be a normal whaling boat, has turned into a hunting boat by orders of Captain Ahab. What was originally supposed to be democracy on the ship, has turned into an attempt at tyranny because of the Captain’s desire to find and kill Moby Dick. The dangers of his charisma are shown very clearly. He uses it to gain control over the ship, and to enact a proposition that the man who finds the white whale will be rewarded with gold. This further divides the already diverse ship and creates a competitive environment amongst the men. Captain Ahab’s influence and leadership is a threat to democracy, and the men on the Pequod don’t even try to resist.

The men on the ship are all in for Captain Ahab’s plan, despite it disrupting what the original purpose of the trip was. Ahab is well aware of his influence, and knows that the crew members will have his back and follow his lead: “The crew, man, the crew! Are they not one and all with Ahab, in this matter of the whale?” (Melville 178). The awareness of his ability to control the men on the Pequod is what makes Ahab especially dangerous; he doesn’t care what happens to them so long as they do what he asks of them. It is strange but certainly not surprising to see the men be so on board with the Captain’s takeover. Once again in Chapter 36, Ahab is seen using his charisma to further establish his push for tyranny on the ship by involving the crew members in a toast to his leadership and their goal to kill Moby Dick. “Commend the murderous chalices! Bestow them, ye who are now made parties to this indissoluble league… Drink, ye harpooners! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat’s bow – Death to Moby Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his death!’ The long, barbed steel goblets were lifted; and to cries and maledictions against the white whale, the spirits were simultaneously quaffed down with a hiss” (Melville 181). The crew members fiercely and willingly drink to the fall of democracy on the Pequod, falling into the trap that has been set by Captain Ahab. The men relate with Ahab’s anger, his need for revenge seeps into their minds and overtakes their own thoughts, they feel what he feels, think what he thinks, and do what he tells them to do. As the narrator of the novel, Ishmael, puts it: “A wild, mystical, sympathetical feeling was in me; Ahab’s quenchless feud seemed mine… 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). Captain Ahab has convinced the crew that his anger and need for vengeance is theirs as well. It leads to the question of what exactly is Captain Ahab’s obsession with the whale Moby Dick?

In Chapter 36, “The Quarter-Deck,” Captain Ahab is successful in convincing the men of the Pequod to submit to his leadership and join him in his journey for revenge against Moby Dick. However, there is one man that Ahab is unable to influence, that being the ship’s First Mate, Starbuck. Starbuck is left unconvinced by Ahab, and questions his pursuit of the white whale, to which Ahab begins to tell Starbuck about his unwavering need for vengeance on Moby Dick: “How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there’s naught beyond. But ‘tis enough. He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me” (Melville 178). Ahab’s obsession for Moby Dick stems from the idea that all the wrongdoings in his life are because of the whale. Anything bad that happens to him is at the fault of Moby Dick, he cannot get live while that whale which has caused his life to spiral into madness is still out there. His life is intertwined with Moby Dick, and his obsession and hubris will certainly lead to the downfall of himself and the Pequod. 

Captain Ahab is a criticism of leaders who use their influence to take control of a nation and turn democracy into disorder. The men on board who cannot see past his charismatic speeches and nature will also perish because of their own willingness to take part in a madman’s journey to fulfill a prophecy by which an unknown force has forsaken him with. Melville wrote this novel to critique dangerous leaders, whose obsessions overtake their lives, and lead nations into dangerous waters in which those who were following blindly will finally see the disaster that they cheered for and toasted to. Captain Ahab is not just a character, but a warning to all those reading Moby-Dick.

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.

Chapter 35, Ishmael addresses “You” once again

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With the malleable way that Ishmael tells the story of Moby-Dick or The Whale, I’ve tried to pay particular attention to the moments when he shifts from addressing a general audience without pronouns to the moments when he addresses the specific “you.” Once again, he returned to this form of address, on the second paragraph of page 172:

“And let me in this place movingly admonish you, ye ship-owners of Nantucket! Beware enlisting in your vigilant fisheries any lad with lean brow and hollow eye; given to unseasonable meditativeness; and who offers to ship with the Phædon instead of Bowditch his head. Beware of such an one, I say; your whales must be seen before they can be killed; and this sunken-eyed young Platonist will tow you ten wakes round the world, and never make you one pint of sperm the richer. Nor are these monitions at all unneeded. For nowadays, the whale-fishery furnishes an asylum for many romantic, melancholy, and absent-minded young men, disgusted with the carking cares of earth, and seeking sentiment in tar and blubber.”

There were a couple of terms that I needed to look into to better understand the passage, which were:

Phædon is a defense of the simplicity and immortality of the soul, according to Moses Mendelssohn’s book of the same name. He was a Jewish Philosopher in the 1700’s.

Bowditch – referencing a mathematician, astronomer, and navigator, Nathaniel Bowditch, who was prominent in the early 1800’s.

Unlike in Chapter 3, when he was taking “you” the audience on a tour of the Spouter-Inn, this time is more of a moment of him addressing a specific kind of “you” the audience – anyone who might someday own or operate a whaling vessel. The simplest way to boil down this passage is to say, “don’t hire people who think a lot to do jobs where they are required to pay close attention to their surroundings, they will become lost in thought and lose you considerable money in the process.” Perhaps the most interesting part of this is that, for all of his talk of needing to go to sea to lose his personal melancholy, he’s literally describing himself as the worst hire for this type of job.

Ishmael continues to be an unreliable narrator, a person that we should not consider an authority about whaling despite all of the research that he does and the knowledge he continues to impart on us. He is telling us that this is a job he should not have done – this was his first job on a whaling ship, he was inexperienced and barely able to succeed in joining the crew. At best, he’s an extra set of hands. For all his talk of country dandies, he is no better than the people he admonished.

Ishmael and Death

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In Chapter 7, “The Chapel,” Ishmael goes into a Whaleman’s Chapel the day before his departure from Nantucket. He claims that there are very few people who would fail to visit the church the day before their departure out to sea, making it seem like God would favor those who step foot in the chapel before their journey on the water, over those who don’t. As Ishmael enters the chapel he takes of note of the memorials engraved into marble tablets on the wall, each one marking the death of a man at sea. Two of the three memorials Ishmael takes note of involves death that was caused by a whale, obviously something that would make someone going out on a whaling boat the next day a little uneasy. Towards the end of the chapter Ishmael begins to talk about fate and death, “I regarded those marble tablets, and by the murky light of that darkened, doleful day read the fate of the whalemen who had gone before me. Yes, Ishmael, the same fate may be thine” (Melville 42). Death follows those who go on whaling ships, whether you’re a sailor, a captain, a cook, or a commodore, both the sea and death will treat you all the same. Even if none of the crew mates die, the very idea of whaling involves the killing of whales and the exploitation of the sea.

Ishmael knows this. He knows the dangers of going out to sea, that each day is he just as vulnerable to succumb to the power of the ocean as the day before and the day after. Ishmael is aware of what he is getting himself into. However, it does not seem to bother him: “Yes, there is death in this business of whaling – a speechlessly quick chaotic building of a man into Eternity. But what then? Methinks we have hugely mistaken this matter of Life and Death. Methinks that what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance… In fact take my body who will, take it I say, it is not me” (Melville 42). Death does not seem like something Ishmael is afraid of. He does not believe that his body defines who he is, but his soul and his spirit that makes the man. The death of his body is not the death of Ishmael, and he is not afraid of what he may face. I will be interested to see if Ishmael keeps the same sentiment while on his voyage, or if the dangers that await will change his attitude.

Christian kindness has proved but hollow courtesy

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Melville presents the readers with an aversion to Christianity, presented frequently throughout the text by the relationship between Queequeg and Ishmael. Starting all the way back in Chapter 3 with the line, “Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian” (26), he spends much of the chapters proceeding it focusing on the kind of man that Queequeg is and the way that he treats Ishmael as well as others surrounding them. Despite having three chapters focused on the importance of religion and practices, they are still dotted with the presence of Queequeg and internal dialogue such as “but Faith, like the jackal, feeds among the tombs, and even these dead doubts she gathers her most vital hope,” (42). 

Christianity is painted as opportunistic, almost parasitic in the way that it prays on the fears, doubts, and hopes of the sailors and their families in New Bedford. “…few are the moody fisherman, shortly bound for the Indian Ocean or Pacific, who fail to make a Sunday visit to the (Whaleman’s Chapel). I am sure that I did not” (39). Each person is compelled to attend the weekly sermon, one way or another, and not even Ishmael is able to avoid it. Yet later, when he is observing Queequeg, he makes another startling statement: “I’ll try a pagan friend, thought I, since Christian kindness has proved but hollow courtesy” (57). 

Perhaps there will be a time when we understand Ishmael’s continued heretical talk against the religion that he claims he was born into (58), but as of now Queequeg is painted as an innocent, sweet man who is alien to the culture he lives amongst yet willing still to respect and attempt to understand it – which is more than can be said of Christians in relation to religions outside of their own.