Theme of Madness in the Novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville - Essay Example

Theme of Madness in the Novel Moby Dick Introduction “Moby Dick; or, The Whale” is one of the finest gems from the treasure of literature by Herman Melville published in the year 1851. The novel is considered as one of the important and great works from the canon of American literature. Apparently, the novel seems to be an adventure story that retells the thrilled voyage of the ever itinerant sailor named Ishmael. He voyages a ship named Pequod. It is a whale-ship. The ship is controlled by Captain Ahab who has a different intention in this voyage of taking retribution from the white sperm whale named Moby Dick who has damaged his boat and also bit off one of his legs (Melville, “Moby-Dick; or, The Whale”). An epic tale of American romanticism, the novel captivates ornate language, intricate symbols and intriguing metaphors. These metaphors pave a concrete way for the myriad themes and layers of interpretation which weaves the plot of the novel. The trajectory of the adventurous characters in the novel and the ordeal is build by themes like the role of class and its concept in the society, the victory of the good over evil and the omnipresence of the omnipotent almighty. An intricate study of the novel and an in-depth delineation of its main characters, their personal beliefs and faiths would definitely launch the readers into a plane where the theme of madness would get an important place in the plot of the novel and evolve out as one of its poignant themes (Melville, “Moby-Dick; or, The Whale”). Theme of Madness in the Novel Moby Dick Insanity or the theme of madness in the novel, “Moby – Dick” refers to the obsession of the characters over a single object. Eccentricity evolves out in the novel when a few of the characters are seen overpowered or possessed by some desire. They have a mad pursuit with which they chase a particular thing in life. These eccentricities of the characters are not revealed at their functional realm. The close introspection of the character traits can indicate to certain unconventional behaviors which might support and intrigue the theme of madness in the novel. The most monomaniac or psychic character of the novel is Captain Ahab but at the pragmatic level, he is also seen behaving with full rationality and managing his ship and his crew with ease and charm. However, his chase for the white sperm whale seems very obsessed and a complete element to ridicule at. In fact, the other characters with more sanity seem very helpless in-front of his self controlled obsession which at times becomes all-consuming factor. A different kind of insanity explored in the novel through the depression, which the characters are thrown into at times due to the extreme obsessed action of Captain Ahab in the novel. Melville has treated mainly with two kinds of mental disease in his texts. The tendency to behave like a monomaniac and the other unconventionalities evolve from some kind of moral insanity. A few critics believe that these two diseases overlap in the texts of Melville, for others these two diseases draw separate symptoms pertinently in the texts. The figures that appear insane in the texts of Melville show the symptoms of both the diseases. Moby-Dick is not any exception in this regard. The characters that appear in the novel have these symptoms evidently and it evolves out with more complexity and greater depth. However, the fact is that most of the characters boarding Pequod do not show any kind of crazy or insane attitude. Most of them show an integration of mind and steadfastness of character though all of them have boarded a ship which is crowded and mysterious man with iron fist is their captain. Yet, most of them are dependable, full of skill and are resourceful person. Starbuck is a very balanced character. He is overburdened with daily chores and is often seems haunted by the memories of relatives lost at sea and disturbed by the working of the ship and Ahab’s mission. Ishmael definitely shows some insanity at times and Fedallah is clearly seen over the line of insanity. However, these characters cannot be judged on the light of behaving bizarre and unconventional because all these characters suffer from a complex mental condition which compels them to behave insane at times. The carpenter at the ship seems balanced but he is also seen quite indifferent to others at times. The blacksmith at the ship, Perth seems sane in the eyes of Ahab. But the insanity of Perth cannot be perceived by Captain Ahab. Perth is moved by the incidents of his past life. Loss of his wife and children affected the mental health of Perth far beyond the perception of Ahab or any other members abroad. His solemnity deepened by the scars of past and sadness can be only felt by the readers gazing at the character. At this level, Melville again indicates to the fact that human mind is most complicated object on this earth and there are many more dark abbeys of human mind yet subjected to exposition. A normal human might be submitted in the ocean of grief or loneliness which might be hardly felt by the people surrounding him. There are more insane characters in the novel whose insanity is expressed explicitly by Melville. Those characters deserve a more thorough analytical scrutiny of their bizarre behavior. Apart from the most insane character of the novel, Captain Ahab the characters like Elijah, Gabriel and Pip show a pertinent bizarre behavior subjected to their respective complications and shortcomings. Elijah is a bit inquisitive but he is approachable and quiet. Yet, his fellow mariners at times trace a trait of insanity in his character. The reason for such perception is his preoccupation with his past which occasionally makes him indifferent from the conventional life of routine and responsibilities. He appears tattered, remarks strange sometimes and a gross degradation in social relation or bizarre social emotions makes him a victim of moral insanity. Gabriel is one of the emphatic insane characters of the novel, “Moby-Dick”. He is a complex character suffering from monomania of a very critical level. His obsession with a single idea makes him bizarre. He is fully engrossed with series of morbid ideas, the evolution of which takes place in his past and his upbringing amid the eccentric society of Niskayuna Shakers where he was nurtured as a prophet. Pip, the young cabin boy of the ship is most insane character after Captain Ahab in the novel. He is profound and at the same time he behaves very silly. He grows increasingly insane. Nervous and panic stricken he even jumps from a whale board. And unable to control his emotions or frenzies and illusions, he jumps from the whale lowering for the last time. Captain Ahab is the epitome of insanity in the novel. Of all the characters in the novel “Moby-Dick”, Captain Ahab seems to be the most insane. Insanity of Captain Ahab is explored mainly at three levels in the novel. The first aspect lies in the history of Ahab’s insanity which initiated long before the loss of his legs; the second is when it reached its prominence during the chase of the whale and the ultimate insanity reflected in the final ordeal of the novel which captivates revenge from a monstrous beast. Conclusion The oceanic world of Melville indeed captivates insane characters like Gabriel, Elijah, Pip and Captain Ahab. All these characters are the result of Melville’s extreme minute observant nature and intricate scientific insight. Ahab the protagonist of the novel alone can be considered as the embodiment of the subtle and intricate avenues of human mind which always needs accurate and detailed analysis. The novel “Moby-Dick” is a psychological study of human nature and mind exposed to extreme sensible analysis ever. Work Cited Melville. “Moby-Dick; or, The Whale”. May 19, 2012. Publishing History, No Date. Bibliography McCarthy, Paul. “Forms of Insanity and Insane Characters in Moby-Dick”. May 19, 2012. Colby Quarterly, 1987. Read More