The Novel Moby Dick - Essay Example

Running Head: MOBY DICK Moby Dick [The [The of the Moby Dick Thesis ment In Herman Melville's novel, Moby Dick, there are certain events and situations which are related to the plot and the characters and these events and situations signal things to come or happen in future. Broadly speaking, these events and situations represent foreshadowing devices in prospective course of action of the novel. Introduction A man's life can be exceptionally different according to his acceptance of morals. Taking place in the 1800s, Herman Melville's classic novel, Moby Dick, introduced this contrast through the characters Ahab and Starbuck. Ahab was the whaling ship's captain who had no morals and let his obsessions bring himself down. Conversely, Starbuck had morals which provided him with opposing strength and a more honorable downfall than Ahab. Both men had a few similarities and were faced with the same challenges in whaling, the absence and presence of morals led the men to deal with the situation in different ways, and ultimately to distinct conclusions. To elaborate the thesis, we can see many instances available in the text. In Chapter cxxvi The Life-Buoy, when they were on a voyage to a rocky island, 'the bodings of the crew were destined to receive a most plausible confirmation in the fate of one of their number that morning' (p.517), there is certain exposition of prospective event that signals something to happen in future. "Indeed, in some sort, they were not grieved at this event, at least as a portent; for they regarded it, not as a foreshadowing of evil in the future, but as the fulfillment of an evil already presaged. They declared that now they knew the reason of those wild shrieks they had heard the night before. But again the old Manxman said nay." (p.518) In the Chapter cxxx, The Hat, the same inclination of the writer may be viewed as regards to future prophecy that implies happening something new in the recent prospective days. The scene is described 'as the unsetting polar star, which through the livelong, arctic, six months' night sustains its piercing, steady, central gaze; so Ahab's purpose now fixedly gleamed down upon the constant midnight of the gloomy crew.' Furthermore, they feel as if 'it domineered above them so, that all their bodings, doubts, misgivings, fears, were fain to hide beneath their souls, and not sprout forth a single spear or leaf.' (p.528) If viewed critically and analytically, it may be affirmed that "In this foreshadowing interval too, all humor, forced or natural, vanished. Stubb no more strove to raise a smile; Starbuck no more strove to check one. Alike, joy and sorrow, hope and fear, seemed ground to finest dust, and powdered, for the time, in the clamped mortar of Ahab's iron soul. Like machines, they dumbly moved about the deck, ever conscious that the old man's despot eye was on them." (p.528) Everyone starts off at a common point but takes off at different speeds and on different roads. Ahab and Starbuck were generally the same in basic aspects. First, both of the men had strong beliefs. Ahab believed Moby Dick was evil and was destined to die at his hands. This belief was so strong that it led to obsession and destruction. In a similar fashion, Starbuck's strong belief in God led to his destruction for it prevented him from making the decision to kill Ahab and prevented him from destroying the entire crew. Second, Ahab and Starbuck both had a family. Apart from all of their whaling, their wives and sons were patiently waiting at home for their husbands' return from the voyage. Third, they both shared a common love for the sea Although crazed; Ahab still loved the ocean that he spent much of his life in. He expressed his love for the sea several times on his final whaling voyage remarking that the it's beauty soothed him. Starbuck spent much of his life on the ocean as well and enjoyed its adventures and beauty. In Chapter xxvi, Knights And Squires, Starbuck even respected the sea inhabitants and he revealed this reverence when he declared, "I will have no man in my boat... who is not afraid of a whale."(p. 113) Both of the two men loved the sea dearly. However, the sea they loved so dearly engulfed them both in the end to their tragic deaths. The idea of such contrasting people having any similarities is not easy to believe but one thing is for sure; Ahab and Starbuck were united by the sea. In most cases, people make decisions with a particular view in mind. Both Ahab and Starbuck had a view of the whaling voyage each of them had decided to go on. However, their views were different. In Chapter cxiv, The Gilder, Ahab had an obsessive view of the voyage for his mind was completely set on getting revenge on the great whale, Moby Dick, for taking off his leg. His obsession was made apparent when he refused to stop the Pequod in order to stop an oil leakage. Oil leakages were a serious problem on whaling ships and so the extremity of Ahab's obsession was very clear. Ahab's obsession was further proved when he would not stop the Pequod even during a big and dangerous storm. The waves were harsh and the ship's masts lit on fire due to lightening. Yet, Ahab refused to turn back and even claims that the burning masts was a good sign, saying, "The white flame but lights the way to the White Whale."(p. 486) Such an obsession to reach Moby Dick was what pushed Ahab through the voyage. When Starbuck passed the musket rack and considered killing Ahab, who was asleep, Starbuck thought about all of the positive and negative effects of such an action before he made his decision not to go through with the killing. In Chapter cxvii, The Whale Watch, Starbuck considered that killing Ahab would end the dangerous and meaningless hunt for Moby Dick but he also recognized that killing Ahab in his sleep was cowardly and against his religious beliefs. Starbuck declared, "God forbid!"(p.493) and walked away from the muskets for only after such reasoning did Starbuck decide not to kill Ahab. Making distinct decisions, Ahab chose to let his emotions take control of his actions while Starbuck chose for his mind to remain in control. Events in life occur in relation with either fate or free will. Ahab believed everything was controlled by fate while Starbuck contrastingly believed man's free will was what caused everything. Ahab saw his fate to be to chase Moby Dick and kill it with his own hands. He felt nothing could make him stray from his destiny of fulfilling this. When the mast heads were hit by lightening and were in flames during the storm, Ahab believed fate was providing light in finding the way to the Great White whale. He saw the clear omen as a positive and beneficial sign. Again, when Ahab fixed the broken compass, he felt he was fulfilling his fate of leading the Pequod to the evil Moby Dick. With such a belief, Ahab declared to his men that he "[could] make one of his own, that [would] point as true as any."(p. 497) The compass' breaking was another clear omen of future danger but Ahab saw the situation with an opposing view. Such radical beliefs rejected the idea of fate altogether. However, Fedallah's latter prophesy and the prophesy being true seemed to revive the idea of fate's existence. Nevertheless, Ahab was crazed with the fate he believed was his. In contrast to Ahab's belief in fate, Starbuck believed in man's free will. Starbuck's continuous pleading to Ahab to change his mind about Moby Dick's hunt showed that Starbuck really did believe man's decisions made up the events of life. Even in the final moments, in Chapter cxxxiii, The Chase -- First Day, Starbuck believes Ahab can still change when he cries to Ahab, "noble heart - go not - go not!"(p. 543) Starbuck was also a religious man and the Christian belief states although everything is predestined, man makes his own decisions. Ahab chose obsession and fate to lead him to his destination while Starbuck chose rationality and his relation with God to lead him to another destination. Starbuck was reverential while Ahab was blasphemous, Starbuck was rational while Ahab was obsessive, and Starbuck believed in God's guidance while Ahab believed in fate. Such were the differences of the two men aboard the Pequod. The different decisions made by the men led them to similar yet distinct destinations. Starbuck was killed tragically at sea but he left the world sure of his actions on earth and sure of his place in heaven. Ahab was similarly killed at sea but he left the world with no assurance whatsoever and in a state of confusion. Herman Melville created these characters for his novel. He may have used the general similarities of the men to establish that they were related as humans and the distinct differences to emphasize the importance of the individual decisions that they made. All men have the same basic desires, needs, and end results as humans. However, the individual obtains a perspective and works around it throughout his life, creating a distinct image and leading to a conclusion of how he will leave the world. Ahab wants to make one special harpoon, the one that will kill Moby Dick, to make it instead of using water to temper it, he wants to get enough blood from all of the crew members and temper it with their blood. That night there was bad thunderstorm. The sails were all shredding. And something happened on the boat, something when all the electricity in the air hits the water, it makes everything glow. The whalers call it St. Elmo's Fire, and when that happened all of the crew members were scared, except Ahab, he stuck his cane into the air and it took and errie glow, Ahab said that it lights the way to Moby Dick. The next morning one of the crew member says that he smells land. There was no land for thousands of miles, so they didn't know what it could be. And all of a sudden birds started to fly around the boat. Ishmail remembers Elijah, he tells Ahab about what Elijah told him and Queequeg before they got on the ship and Ahab didn't believe it. Then they spotted it, Moby Dick! Ahab commanded to get the rowboats down and Ahab went with them this time. They went down and just as they were going to harpoon the whale it went under. Ahab commanded that the whale come back up. As the birds started to fly Ahab knew he was coming back up. The whale came back up and picked the boat up in his mouth. Ahab went onto the whale's back and stabbed and stabbed the whale and while he was stabbing him Ahab said, I spit my last breath at ye. Ahab then got stuck in all of the ropes that were attached to the harpoons that were on Moby Dick's back. The whale went under with Ahab attached to him. The whale then came back up and turned his back just enough so it looked like Ahab beckoned. The rest of the crew saw it and followed to kill Moby Dick. The whale then rammed into the Pequod, and destroyed it. The ship sank deep into a whirlpool and the only thing that was left was the coffin made for Queequeg. Moby Dick attacked the other rowboats killing everyone, Ishmail fell into the water but he found the coffin and grabbed on to it. The whale thought it had killed everyone so it left. Ishmail was amazed that the whale didn't get him. As Ishmail floated around the ocean, The Rachael came back and saved him. In the light of given discussion, it has been proved that there are many events which demonstrate and depict the signaling predication of future happening through the course of action in the novel. These may be termed as foreshadowing devices. Reference Herman Melville (Author), Elizabeth Renker (Contributor): Moby Dick: Or, The Whale Signet Classics; 150 Anv edition (May 8, 2001) Read More