Moby-Dick by Herman Melville - Book Report/Review Example

Number: Literary Analysis based on the novel Moby-Dick The novel Moby-Dick, ed by Herman Melville is a work of art that depicts symbolism, imagery, or allegory, allowing the readers to fathom what the author wants to convey about the life events linked to the characters of the story. This novel is rich in showing us the actual symbols that are integral components of the human life. After all, there is great evidence that the author wanted to showcase the entire story to depict the actual walk of life by combining rich symbolism or imagery in the actual plot. The author remarkably included the idea of voyage in the entire novel that would tell us about the important point of life exploration and journey, leading us to be able to meditate on the things around us and learn many things from them as we go deeper into experience and maturity. This is a silent message that the author might want to show to us. At some point, for some, this claim might be so trivial, but to give emphasis that the novel simply talks about life, the work at hand tries to create a fundamental critical analysis based on the case to substantially interpret the point of Melville in creating characters and symbols that truly were not due to random chance, but a necessity in order to give the whole image of the actual voyage of the main character in the story. Let us begin by understanding what it really means when Melville included the idea of navigation and sailing, which from the start of the novel was a very inconvenient idea for the main character, Ishmael. The author through Ishmael started, “Some years ago-never mind how long precisely – having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world (Melville 7).” Notice how the main character started in his voyage with no little interest on the shore. Productivity even was a great chance of possibility to achieve considering that there was only little or no money to be found in his purse. Also consider how the author tried to present us the idea how little might have been the thought of the character about life, due to his prevailing expectations and not knowing about the important things waiting to be unveiled somewhere in the watery part of the world through sailing. The author therefore starts to show us the maturity level of Ishmael based on the character’s actual view or expectation about life from the start. With this in mind, we can therefore associate that the author would want to present us the actual discovery of things in a complex life. Since there was little expectation of Ishmael for his future and whatever he will be, there is an actual essence of telling us that unless the person will never start to explore about life, there could be less chance of expecting what to discover in the most complex part of life. Here, the mentioned of ‘watery part of the world’ symbolizes life. Just like the life of everyone, the vast deep ocean, remains a place for more substantial exploration and discovery. Applying this principle in everyone’s life, there are things, ideas, discoveries, insights and revelations waiting to be finally uncovered in each of us. However, the author would want to imply that the level of our maturity will prevent us to see what is supposed to be expected we see in our lives, just as the same thing we need to expect from somewhere in the vast, deep blue sea. Had Ishmael never attempted to pursue his voyage together with the other crew, he would never have the chance to encounter Moby-Dick, the White Whale in the novel. The White Whale appeared only thrice in the 135 chapters of the entire book. However, its appearance would be enough for the characters to tell something about this Creature. Here, Melville is trying to present us another important symbol in the story, the White Whale. There are various interpretations that we could generate from the appearance of this White Whale, and it is evident how Ishmael described a certain part of the creature, which at this point might also represent the author’s actual point of view about this symbol. “Champollion deciphered the wrinkled granite hieroglyphics. But there is no Champollion to decipher the Egypt of every man’s and every being’s face. Physiognomy, like every other human science, is but a passing fable. If then, Sir William Jones, who read in thirty languages, could not read the simplest peasant’s face in its profounder and more subtle meanings, how may unlettered Ishmael hope to read the awful Chaldee of the Sperm Whale’s brow? I but put that brow before you. Read it if you can” (Melville 328). In the above statement, we can see Ishmael’s interpretations of the Whale’s scars and wrinkles on the forehead, that he found hard to interpret, which at some point is the way of the author to challenge us and present us the enigma of the creature. With this in view, the author is successful in presenting us the idea that there are evidently some things in our lives that are hard to fathom or understand, because life itself remains a total mystery just as how he depicts the character of Ishmael who presents us the whale’s inscrutability. On the other hand, this would also present us the level of Ishmael’s maturity now in viewing what the actual voyage is all about, because he now finds time to look at the specific detail of the voyage by presenting us his interpretation on the whale’s brow. This is a complicated aspect as the author presents us the point through Ishmael’s inability to interpret the scars and wrinkles on the whale’s forehead, the point that is presented just after Ishmael has already gone out a long way on the voyage. Therefore, it is clear to us now how the author develops his idea through symbols in telling us about the important point of life exploration and journey, for us to meditate on the things around us and learn many things from them as we go deeper into experience and maturity. Reference Melville, Herman. Moby Dick; or, The white whale. Boston, MA: C. H. Simonds Company, 1892. Print. Read More