Moby-Dick or, the Whale by Herman Melville

He feels like a puppet, with his destiny beyond his control:

Moreover, Ahab recognizes the unmerited rage within him, understands its evil, and thus can be admired for it. Ahab is a mirror through which the reader may see aspects of him/herself, which allows the reader to understand, if not empathize with, the tortured captain (Zoellner, p. Rather, he is best described as an antihero, a character who displays the shortcomings of man, namely the desire to conquer the unconquerable. This determination is both Ahab’s most admirable quality and his Achilles’ Heel, for though it shows his inner fortitude when turned upon Moby Dick, it becomes the fuel for his madness. According to Ishmael, a sense of determination is painted across Ahab’s face. His left leg, severed at the knee by his enemy Moby Dick, is augmented by “ a peg-leg of whalebone” (Bryant, p. A jagged white scar mars his face and body, a result of lightning striking the captain. 274).Ĭaptain Ahab is the skipper of the Pequod, a dark, mysterious man who rarely seeks human companionship. And if you be a philosopher, though seated in the whaleboat, you would not at heart feel one whit more of terror than though seated before your evening fire with a poker, and not a harpoon, by your side” (Melville, p. All are born with halters round their necks, but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life. (Hardwick 66) The connections he makes are profound and amazing and most definitely reveal the author’s own views: Ishmael is the object through which Melville himself speaks.

Ishmael’s desire to analyze and explain allows the reader to gain much insight through the narration of his experiences. Consequently, he becomes a crewmember aboard the Pequod in order to gain the experience of being a sailor for the first time on a whaling vessel. Ishmael’s chief motivating factor is his thirst for knowledge. (Melville 16) His views on culture, religion and the whaling industry reveal him as a thoughtful, open-minded individual. “ Ishmael is an intellectual and a philosopher, a person who carefully examines what he sees around him.” (Buell 63) His casual introduction of “ Call me Ishmael” gives the reader a feeling of familiarity and friendship. Ishmael, the narrator of the story, never gives the reader a complete physical description of himself, but it may be inferred that he is a strong young man of average build and perhaps a tan complexion due to his previous service on board merchant ships. Herman Melville’s novel contains three main characters: Ishmael, Captain Ahab, and Moby Dick.

Moby-Dick or, the Whale by Herman Melville