Moby Dick 2 Term paper
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Moby Dick
The moral ambiguity of the universe is prevalent throughout Melville’s
Moby Dick. None of the characters represent pure evil or pure goodness.
Even Melville’s description of Ahab, whom he repeatedly refers to
"monomaniacal," suggesting an amorality or psychosis, is given a chance to
be seen as a frail, sympathetic character. When Ahab’s "monomaniac" fate
is juxtaposed with that of Ishmael, that moral ambiguity deepens, leaving
the reader with an ultimate unclarity of principle.
The final moments of Moby Dick bring the novel to a terse, abrupt climax.
The mutual destruction of the Pequod and the White Whale, followed by
Ishmael’s epilogue occupies approximately half a dozen pages. Despite
Melville’s previous tendency to methodically detail every aspect of
whaling life, he assumes a concise, almost journalistic approach in the
climax. Note that in these few pages, he makes little attempt to assign
value judgements to the events taking place. Stylistically, his narration
is reduced to brusque, factual phrases using a greater number of
semicolons. By ending the book so curtly, Melville makes a virtually
negligible attempt at denouement, leaving what value judgements exist to
the reader.
Ultimately, it is the dichotomy between the respective fortunes of Ishmael
and Ahab that the reader is left with. Herein lies a greater moral
ambiguity than is previously suggested. Although Ishmael is the sole
survivor of the Pequod, it is notable that in his own way, Ahab fulfills
his desire for revenge by ensuring the destruction of the White Whale
alongside his own end. Despite the seeming superiority of Ishmael’s
destiny, Melville does not explicitly indicate so. On the contrary, he
subtly suggests that Ishmael’s survival is lonely and empty upon being
rescued: "It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search
after her missing children, only found another orphan." (724) That single
instance of the appellation "orphan" as applied to Ishmael speaks volumes
when taken in light of the destruction of the Pequod and her crew.
Melville’s inclusion of Ishmael’s survival as an epilogue, a suffix
attached to the dramatic destruction of the Pequod, suggests that
Ishmael’s survival is an afterthought to the fate of Ahab and the rest of
his crew. Ishmael’s quiet words at the beginning of the chapter, "Why then
here does any one step forth? —Because one did survive the wreck," (723)
indicate a deep humility on Ishmael’s part.
The question is then raised of why Ishmael is the sole survivor. It is
clear that Ishmael significantly differs with Ahab concerning their
respective perspectives of the White Whale. Ishmael clearly indicates in
the chapter "The Try Works" how disagreeable he finds the mission and
mentality of those around him: "…the rushing Pequod, freighted with
savages, and laden with fire, and burning a corpse, and plunging into that
blackness of darkness, seemed the material counterpart of her monomaniac
commander’s soul." (540) Here, Ishmael breaks his usual detached
observancy and boldly divorces himself from Ahab’s mission and those whom
Ahab has recruited to aid him
.
Ishmael further distinguishes himself from the rest of the crew by being
the sole non-exploiter of whales in general. Melville makes it clear early
on that Ishmael initially chooses to ship on the Pequod for the
experiential value of whaling. It has been indicated that his outlook on
the whale is the only significantly benign one. Whereas Ishmael is
terrified by the "whiteness of the whale," Stubb sees economic gain in the
valuable whale oil, subtly hinted at by his overbearing gloating upon his
first kill. In the harpooneers, we see a violent savageness, even in
Queequeg’s otherwise loving nature. To Ahab, the whale is a emblem of pure
evil. Even prudent, rational Starbuck looks on the whale as a dumb animal,
which it is his duty to exploit.
The terror that Ishmael perceives is a consequence of his own vague fear
of the whale’s "nothingness." What Ishmael fears is the mystical,
terrifying manifestation of...
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