novel of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Table of Contents

Outline

Topic:

Presenting Ahab and Ishmael’s character, personality, and attitude.

Title:

Ahab and Ishmael: Two Sides of a Coin

Thesis statement:

I claim that Ahab and Ishmael are two sides of a coin.

Chapter:

1. Introduction

2. Historical Review

3. Captain Ahab

4. Ishmael

5. Captain Ahab Vs. Ishmael

6. Discussion & Conclusion

Introduction:

Moby-Dick, a novel written by Herman Melville, is a novel of sea journey. The novel includes different characters, but there are two main characters, Captain Ahab, and Ishmael. This novel is more than a sea journey, it is a journey of revenge started by the egotist, Captain Ahab. In this paper I’ll discuss the two main characters, where I claim that both characters are two sides of a coin.

Captain Ahab was injured emotionally and physically by Moby Dick, the white whale. Because of his injury, he deicides to take revenge, and sails through the ocean to kill the white whale. Ahab’s ego blinds him, he cannot think of anything but the revenge. He gradually becomes a monomaniac as he chases the white whale. Therefore, he leads all the Pequod crew to a tragic ending, apart from Ishmael who is the only survivor. It is important to note that Ahab’s denial of the existence of good and evil caused him to become a blinded egotist and obsessed with killing the evil.

On the other hand, Ishmael, who is the only survivor who narrates the novel of Moby-Dick knows how to deal with things around him. Ishmael accepts the way life goes, unlike Captain Ahab, he does not deny the existence of good and evil, and Ishmael’s awareness helps him survivor because he knows that killing the white whale will not help him, he knew that he must adapt with the situation, unlike Ahab who insists in killing the evil.

In short, this paper includes three main chapters. The first chapter is a historical review that reflects Moby Dick through the years and how scholars present it at each period. In the second chapter I will present the first side of the coin which is Captain Ahab. Then I intend to present the other side of it, which is Ishmael, the narrator. After presenting each side, in the third chapter, I will discuss both sides.

Historical Review:

Moby-Dick is a story of the sea, written by Herman Melville. “Melville did not finish Moby-Dick until almost a year later, in midsummer 1851, some time after an undetermined number of early chapters had already been typeset in New York” (Sattelmeyer 217). Therefore, it was first published in October 1851 as The Whale and then as Moby-Dick in November.

After Melville’s death in 1891, and neglecting his piece of writing, Moby-Dick, in the 1850, the story of the sea started to flourish in the 1920s. That period, 1920s, was called “Melville’s Revival” when critics and reviewers started to write articles around Moby-Dick, these critical writings caused Moby-Dick to flourish (Parker and Higgins 12). Scholars and researchers started to rediscover the novel, and Melville’s writings.

It is important to note, that in the beginning, American reviewers did not appreciate Melville’s work, unlike the British reviewers who wrote about Melville’s work. However, by the end of the 1930s, according to Parker and Higgins, Moby-Dick became “the canon of American Literature” (18). Moreover, “by the late 1940s courses in American literature of the nineteenth century regularly included Moby-Dick” (Parker and Higgins 16).

In the 1940s, several critics suggested that Ahab reflects the American identity. Captain Ahab was compared to the former president of America, George W. Bush who is fighting the Moby-Dick represented by terrorism. Matthiessen, as quoted in Donoghue’s article, said that it is regularly accused of having turned Moby-Dick and other classic American books into Cold War texts (Donoghue 172).

Furthermore, in the same period, 1940s, critics started to notice the impact of Shakespeare on Herman Melville's writing of Moby-Dick. Parker and Higgins declared that Matthiessen drew attention to Shakespeare's influence on the composition of scenes by emphasizing the dramatic elements in Moby-Dick (20). Whereas other critics continued to explore the influence of other writers on Melville’s writings, such as Homer, Dante, and many others.

By the 1950s and the beginning of 1960s, critics tried to place Moby-Dick through different contexts, political, philosophical, and religious contexts. According to Parker and Higgins, some critics tried to place it at the end of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s as a political allegory which cannot be understood without keys to contemporary political events and personalities (22).

Between the periods of 1970-1990's, critics continued to focus their writings about symbolism in Moby Dick, discussing Ahab's and Ishmael's personalities, Ishmael's desire to discover and know things around him, and Ahab's desire for taking revenge and the concept of good and evil in the book. Each personality reflects one of the aspects of human beings. Ahab reflects the Evil side of human beings. Donoghue states that American believes that Satan is not alive, and if it alive, it does not exist inside America (162) in other words Ahab’s personality reflects what an American citizen would believe about U.S.A, evil is not in American or American it is outside U.S. on the other hand, Ishmael reflects the good side, he accepts all people, he does not care for the race, color, or age of the person.

In addition, according to McWilliams, Ahab portraits the ordinary “American political life” (233). She also emphasizes the main traits of Ahab’s personality, “his isolation and his desire for domination” (233). These traits are the ones who led the events of the story to be the way they are, where Ahab’s desire and isolation caused the Pequod’s crew to death.

During the 1960's, Richard Chase's contribution was one of the most prominent contributions. Where Chase was one of the first critics to shed the lights on applying several motifs such as, Narcissism, Transcendentalism and Self-Reliance in the text. He states that Moby-Dick is "a book about the alienation from life that results from an excessive or neurotic self-dependence." Chase supposes that Captain Ahab is guilty of egotism, or pride in the Christian sense, however, Ahab is "victimized by a distorted "self-reliance." (Chase 56).

Moby-Dick has been interpreted differently after the September 11 attacks, some critics started to compare between Captain Ahab and the American president in that time George W. Bush, and the White Whale as the evil, as I mentioned in the previous lines. According to what Donoghue suggests, is that what we need in thinking of the whale is not “an allegory in which it may take its place but a subtler figuring” (164). In other words, he states that the reading he suggested after 9/11 “should be situated within a much longer trajectory, both personal and critical” (164).

The critiques of the novel are mainly based on the dark side of the White Whale and the unsuccessful quest after it. Reviewers see a new symbolism in Ahab’s fight against Moby-Dick and it is the symbol of the hopeless fight against terrorism. Mumford emphasizes the quality of Moby-Dick, where it was “written in the best spirit of the nineteenth century, and through it escaped most of the limitations of that period, it escaped with its finest qualities intact” (404).

Currently Moby Dick has become an important part of American culture. The powerful but ambiguous symbols enable every reader of Moby Dick at any period of time to interpret the novel according his or her own interpretations according to the political, historical or cultural condition of the particular society. Moreover, in the future there will be various interpretations and people who will inspire other explanations and insights into Moby-Dick because its understanding might change during the coming years.

Chapter 1: Captain Ahab

Captain Ahab is a main character in the novel Moby-Dick which tells Ahab’s story of revenge. Ahab is a quiet, mad, and isolated man who “spends his 40 years life on the sea” (Wei 448). In this chapter, I’ll present Ahab’s traits, and personality.

Ahab is a strict determined captain, who lacks the physical appearance of a normal person, mainly the perfect captain’s appearance. Losing his leg on a voyage because of the white whale, Moby Dick, caused him to believe that “he is insulted by his enemy” (Wei 449). In addition, the loss of his leg caused him to consider Moby Dick as the symbol of evil in the world. Therefore, Ahab “insists on pursuing and killing Moby Dick who wounds his leg” (Ren and Yu105). Captain Ahab has several reasons to kill Moby Dick. Furthermore, his determination in killing the white whale is due to “the physical pain of dismemberment that motivates him and the psychological pain of alienation from society that causes Ahab’s intense melancholy” (Schlarb 83).

Nevertheless, losing his leg was not the only thing that Ahab has lost. Metaphorically, Ahab’s blindness caused him to lose more than that. Pepper claims that Ahab has obviously lost many earthly desires, such as money and happiness (39). By insisting on revenge, Ahab lost the ability of living a normal life with his family. His “inability to lead a constructive life, to return to his wife and child, and to embrace the duties that the family community charges him with, leave him bound to the task of slaying the whale who symbolizes this inability to feel at home in the community” (Schlarb 90).

Through the first chapters of the novel, Moby Dick, Ishmael was waiting for Captain Ahab’s appearance on the Pequod. Up until the 28th chapter, Ahab makes his first appearance which is described by the narrator, Ishmael:

His bone leg steadied in that hole; one arm elevated, and holding by a shroud; Captain Ahab stood erect, looking straight out beyond the ship’s ever-pitching prow. There was an infinity of firmest fortitude, a determinate, unsurrenderable wilfulness, in the fixed and fearless, forward dedication of that glance. Not a word he spoke; nor did his officers say aught to him; though by all their minutest gestures and expressions, they plainly showed the uneasy, if not painful, consciousness of being under a troubled master-eye. And not only that, but moody stricken Ahab stood before them with a crucifixion in his face; in all the nameless regal overbearing dignity of some mighty woe (Melville 109).

Ishmael’s description of Captain Ahab is almost a full description. He describes Ahab’s physical appearance, and he demonstrates Ahab’s irritable attitude which reflects later his stubbornness that led to a tragic ending. Captain Ahab is imbalanced, according to what Ren and Yu, they claim that he is unable to keep balance by himself between his two legs, because of the wound caused by the great creature Moby-Dick (106). In other words, he has no physical or inner emotional balance, which is clear enough for the reader that through Ishmael’s description and according to Ren and Yu, Captain Ahab is emotionally injured more than physically.

In Captain Ahab’s first appearance, he starts with a speech. In his speech, he emphasizes one and only desire, which is killing the white whale. He does not declare the reason for it, but, the crew of the Pequod already know that “Ahab hates Moby Dick which is embodiment of nature also because he feels his pride is wounded and his human dignity is challenged” (Wei 450). Therefore, Ahab insists in killing the white whale, neglecting the consequences of accomplishing his desire of revenge, and “he encourages the staff in the Pequod following him and accomplishing his goal, which leads to tragic ending” (Ren and Yu 105).

Captain Ahab’s personality traits is clear to the reader already. The reader can notice, according to what Ren and Yu state, that the inhumanity is one of the most common qualities in Ahab’s character. It is the traditional idea that Captain Ahab endows with the special demonic features like a devil. He has a very strong imbalance and excessive madness (107). He does not care for anyone, he even does not greet the crew of the Pequod while they have dinner. Ren and Yu add, that Captain Ahab rejects any request, for instance “when Captain Gardner of Rachel expects Ahab to help him find his son, but his ship is lost after chasing the whale Moby Dick. Ahab refuses his request, because he doesn’t want to waste time to chase the white whale, Moby Dick (107). Hence, until now, Captain Ahab is a man of a few words, who lacks the trait of socialization, who also rejects any type of communication with any of the crew members, or any request because of selfishness. Schlarb also states that “Ahab’s rending of the whale as his personal nemesis by divine decree would be merely a result of Ahab’s lack of social kills” (90).

Nonetheless, he does interact somehow with Starbucks. According to Probst, Ahab’s interaction with Starbuck throughout his discussion is surprisingly open, but it describes a life that has been continuously private and closed off, both due to the isolating attributes of his authoritative career as a captain and, more significantly, due to the dehumanizing isolation of his obsession; a fixation with definitive truth that the other crewmembers cannot necessarily understand (3). In other words, it is obvious that Ahab’s isolation from the outside world is the mainly reason that he is an introvert. On the other hand, it is important to mention what Pepper claims regarding Ahab’s interaction with Starbucks, that Ahab still overpowers Starbucks because he has grand views (39), which reflects Ahab’s greatness.

Ren and Yu declare that Ahab is great God-like figure, but he does not respect God. He considers himself as a GOD on the Pequod what is miniature of American society (107). By considering himself “God-like figure”, he can overcome his mentality, and think that he has an up normal or superior power like “God” does. Maybe by assuming that he has the power of “God”, is the reason for his locked mentality or his insist in having a superior ability to kill Moby Dick without any boundaries or consequences. This kind of trait, “God-like figure”, makes Ahab a hero. Ren and Yu illustrate that Ahab is brave enough to be against God and he has the spirit of hard personality and perseverance. All of this make him a hero. Nevertheless, during the struggle with the powerful force of nature, he is doomed to become a tragic figure (108).

Moving to describe heroism in Ren and Yu’s eyes. According to them, the most important factor in being a hero is independent, responsibility and self-respect which could discover the importance of independent not depending upon others (106). In addition, heroism is the purpose of seeking personal interests and self-reliance has been deep rooted in the American literature (Ren and Yu 106). These traits exist in Captain Ahab. He follows his personal interest, he an independent person, and he has a self-reliance.

What makes Ahab a tragic hero is that he “does not want to be failure before an animal, before nature” (Wei 448). Schlarb adds, that Captain Ahab seeks to render the unknown harmless by killing the white whale, if he can catch the beast and kill it, he will make his faceless fear tangible (83). He never accepts the idea of being disabled because of Moby Dick, which symbolizes nature, and in Ahab’s eyes, nature is evil, evil is Moby Dick. Thus, he “is a person who dares to fight with fate, leading to his tragic fate.” (Ren and Yu 107).

Moreover, Captain Ahab’s imbalance makes him move and think irrationally. Consequently, Wei declares that the hero’s combat strength comes from an irrational power in his inner world and his most daring revolt against God, which gives vent to the subject’s lust (449). Not to forget that Ahab is a brave figure, he does not fear the white whale, and “he has the determination and courage to challenge nature, which embodies the spirit of heroism” (Ren and Yu 106).

The last thing to mention in this chapter is that one of the most apparent traits of Ahab is being brave. Wei clarifies that bravery is Ahab’s central character, it is fully showed during the process of chasing the white whale (448). He will always be considered as a hero, though “he sacrifices his life, his spirit will survive forever. It is nature that causes his failure. While he himself knows the tragic results, Ahab still holds on his belief. That’s why we say the he is a tragic hero” (Ren and Yu 107). He is only a “divine soul that struggles to free itself from an earth-bound body” (Pepper 38).

Chapter 2: Ishmael

Ishmael is considered a main character in Melville's novel. He is the narrator of the story, the only survivor, and he “fades into the position of silent observer” (Pepper 4). In the previous chapter I have introduced Captain Ahab’s personality traits. In this chapter I intend to introduce Ishmael's character.

Ishmael opens the story with his famous statement:

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago–never mind how long precisely–having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulationn (Melville 18).

By this start we do understand that it is first person narrator. According to Hansen “Ishmael immediately suggests that he wants to shape and control how he is perceived by himself and others” (2), we understand that he puts a limit of identifying himself by saying “call me Ishmael”. Moreover, Ishmael’s opening statement implies, maybe, that he is running or escaping the world on earth and sailing through the sea searching for inner peace. He does not like the life on earth, therefore he decides to sail perhaps he will find something that interests him there. He also declares that “with the few brief words “Call me Ishmael” the reader is introduced to the product of the encounter with Moby Dick, and the character of Ishmael is completed only through the telling of the story” (Pepper 4).

Ishmael’s character is not like Ahab’s, he is socialized, and civilized person. He accepts the other, and he knows how to deal with things around him. As it was mentioned in Probst’s article, he gives and example of how Ishmael accepts the other, “Ishmael’s acceptance of tattooing is not just an acceptance of racial conversion by Queequeg, but it is also an example of cultural syncretism because his tattoos are English words and figures rather than tattoos that resemble Queeqgue’s” (10). It is important to note that all this also implies that Ishmael could accepts the existence of good and evil. Or maybe he knows how to react to the way life goes on.

Chapter 3: Captain Ahab Vs. Ishmael

In the previous chapters I have introduced the two main characters of the novel, Captain Ahab and Ishmael, in this chapter I will present their differences and why they are different. I will be introducing these differences according to their mentality, personality, and what they have gone through in their life which affected both differently.

On the one hand it is obviously that both characters share some basic features. Both are seamen and they both are on a hunt for a whale. On the other hand, they differ in the way they accept truth. Ismael accepts the truth while Ahab refuses to accept it, according to Probst, “the acceptance that Ishmael displays by recognizing his own limited knowledge, as well as the fact that he cannot contrast to Ahab who must “strike through the mask” in order to break through appearance and arrive at absolute truth” (14). From this, we do understand that although Ahab sees the truth behind his desires he refuses to accept it, while Ishmael accepts the truth and he lives with it in harmony, he does not walk against it as Ahab does.

In addition, it is clear that Ishmael’s character tries to learn and acknowledge things that goes around. Unlike Ahab, who only smash everything around him looking for his own desire without understanding things. Habeceker also indicates and important point about Ishmael and Ahab, he states that “Ishmael is also perspicacious and understand the dilemma of being human, much as Ahab in his obsession truly understands as well” (4).

Other differences were mentioned in a detail in Pepper’s thesis. Pepper declares that “Ahab is unable to see that the evil he seeks to destroy in Moby Dick exists within himself”. Whereas “Ishmael sees the boundary situation as fluid and able to be crossed, reconciling himself with the unknown” (12). In other words, it is obvious from the end of the novel that “Ishmael is reborn, while Ahab is killed” (Pepper 12).

Furthermore, each character attends or sees the whale differently. On the one hand, Ishmael sees the whale as the guide into the intuitions that fall from the heavens as well as the director into the dark depths of the sea. On the other hand, Captain Ahab attends the whale as the force who destroyed him (Pepper 12-13).

Moving to talk about Captain Ahab and Ishmael’s experience through the novel. Sailing through the sea on the Pequod gave Ishmael the chance to see Ahab’s mistakes, and Ishmael was able to cross the boundaries and all other desires. While Ahab drifted into his desire of killing Moby Dick which led him and his crew to death (Pepper 63). In Pepper’s article Chase states that Ahab is like Narcissus who falls into the sea, whereas Ishmael was able to save his soul (qtd. in Pepper 64).

Discussion and Conclusion

I have presented in the previous chapters Captain Ahab’s personality as well as Ishmael’s personality in addition to their differences. In this chapter, I intend to discuss the two sides of the same coin.

Captain Ahab and Ishmael’s character differs in different fields. They differ in terms of thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. These two main characters reflect two aspects of human’s personality or mentality; Captain Ahab reveals the evil aspect that a human might have, while Ishmael reveals the good aspect.

Due to the difference in both characters, the novel describes as good and evil. Captain Ahab represents the evil aspect of human who only chases his desire not caring for others. On the other aspect, the good aspect, Ishmael, the narrator who escaped earth searching for inner peace in the Pequod ship.

Works cited

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