A short analytical response to Moby-Dick by Herman Melville (second half) - Essay Example

A short analytical response to "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville. Chapters 23-71. Ishmael sets out to find a boat for use in carrying out a whaling exercise. It is in this course of action that he encounters s the crew whom they join in the ship, the Pequod. All of them seem to share a similar endeavor .i.e. whale hunting adventure, except for the ship’s leader, Captain Ahab. He clearly states his longing to kill Moby Dick the white whale for taking his leg. The crew heads for the equator where they expect to find the whale.

The text brings out the various characters’ determination, strength, weakness, fear, and acceptance of fate in their adventure while revealing Moby Dick’s mystery and power in subduing his opponents.… at times these things bent the welded iron of his soul, much more did his far-away domestic memories of his young Cape wife and child, tend to bend him still more from the original ruggedness of his nature, and open him still further to those latent influences which, in some honest-hearted men, restrain the gush of dare-devil daring, so often evinced by others in the more perilous vicissitudes of the fishery.

"I will have no man in my boat," said Starbuck, "who is not afraid of a whale." (75)The chief feature of this passage is the introduction and description of Starbuck, one of the mates of the Pequod. Starbuck shares similarities with Captain Ahab in that he is a Nantucket native and a Quaker by decent. On the contrary, he is strong and calm in nature in dangerous situations and is not in search of the white whale for vengeance. This is unlike Captain Ahab, who wants payback for his lost leg. The terms “ruggedness” and “dare devil daring” are evidence of Starbuck’s rough and strong personality.

It is, therefore, ironic that the reminiscence of his wife and child touch a soft spot in his being. It is also ironic that Starbuck does not tolerate persons who are bold and have no fear of the whale. For a man of his nature, it is only logic for him to expect others to be fearless and strong. Cowardice is a weakness that deserves ridicule in the society.The white whale is a symbol of power and mystery. The statement, “The Sperm Whale is in some cases sufficiently powerful, knowing, and judiciously malicious, as with direct aforethought to stave in, utterly destroy, and sink a large ship; and what is more, the Sperm Whale has done it,” confirms this (131).

Depicted as a large sea monster, diverse characters in the book have cultural and scientific view of this creature. The mystery and power of the creature likens it to a god. Ahab represents people who consider the whale a force to reckon with while Captain Boomer represents those who accept their fate and the existence of the whale. The former associate the creature with malice and destruction while the later falls in the class that views the creature with reverence. In their search for adventure, the crew faces tough situations that reveal their true nature.

This paper has demonstrated and analyzed various characters’ personalities and temperaments such as determination, strength, weakness, fear, and acceptance of fate in their adventure while revealing Moby Dick’s mystery and power in suppressing his opponents.Works Cited.Melville Herman. Moby-Dick.