Thomas Claviez, professor of Literary Theory at Berne University in Switzerland, asserts that Billy Budd is considered among the most controversial novels in American Literature. Resulting from the moral quandary over Billy's hanging, the novel has created "heated debate" (Claviez, 2006, p
Ahab wanted retaliation against an enemy that could hide deep in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean; Bush wanted retaliation against an enemy that hid in caves in the mountains of Afghanistan. Point THREE: Donoghue insists that "…It would be difficult, in these lurid circumstances, to read Moby-Dick as anything but a revenge play, a…melodrama of good and evil" (Donoghue, 2003, p
He writes that while critics are generally divided between those who see Captain Vere as "an unwitting collaborator" with Claggart and those who feel Vere was correct to have Billy sent to the gallows. In his piece Goodheart explains that Billy is "…variously seen as Adam before the fall, as a noble barbarian, as Isaac the sacrificial victim…and as a Christ figure" (Goodheart, 2006, p
Simultaneously, Captain Ahab's obsession to destroy the white whale is also evil, for only true evil can be found in man, rather than in animals. Thus, "the evil that Moby Dick appears to have is the (same) evil within Captain Ahab" who has "projected his own feelings and instincts onto Moby Dick" (Cleveland, Internet)
However, many believe that "the great white whale" itself of Moby Dick stands as the ultimate symbol of evil in the novel, yet how can a "dumb brute" be seen as evil when it merely reacts and behaves to save itself from the madness of men? Thus, good and evil in Melville's masterpiece is completely dependent on the behaviors and psychological expressions of Ahab, the mad captain of the Pequod, and Ishmael, a young man seeking adventure on the high seas as a whaler and inexorably caught up in the great chase to kill the white terror known as Moby Dick. The opening lines of Chapter One of Moby Dick introduces the main protagonist Ishmael and what he says here as our first-person narrator is very indicative of his "good nature as a young and somewhat experienced whaler who as a person is honorable, admirable and worthy of our sentiments and feelings" (Hayes, 134): Whenever I find myself growing grim
. (or) methodically knocking people's hats off, then I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can" (Melville, 4)
From the viewpoint of Melville scholar Lawrence Cleveland, the character of Captain Ahab, the sole master of the whaling ship the Pequod, "lost his leg to Moby Dick" which makes him "the victim of an attack by a vicious animal" ("Captain Ahab," Internet) in the form of a giant albino sperm whale. Yet by the time one reads Chapter 36 of the novel, it becomes clear that Ahab, named after a biblical figure that was married to Jezebel "who sponsored false prophets and gods, killed true ones and destroyed altars devoted to the Lord or Jehovah" (Smith, 267), is now a man possessed and "obsessed with destroying Moby Dick," due to the having lost his leg to the mighty jaws of the mysterious and terrifying white whale, humped with a crooked back and pierced by lances from past attempts to kill him
Simply put, Ahab would "strike the sun if it insulted me" (Melville, 376), an indication that he would strike the face of God if needed. In conclusion, we have young Ishmael, the "good" protagonist, paradoxically aligned with Ahab who throughout the novel "may try to establish himself as a hero, but in the end, deep down and beneath his pasteboard mask is evil incarnate" (Townsend, 56)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville In this book, the author narrates a whaling adventure that the Captain Ahab hunts Moby Dick, the extremely large white whale that previously bit the Captain's leg him thus went after the whale to have his revenge -- from then on develop into his symbol of what is evil in the world; the Captain brought 30 sailors from various places who innocently join in order to follow his sole reason (Breejen, 2000)
Additionally, the holy ritual of anointing the selected things for God's intentions is discussed as well in Moby Dick -- where Queequeg come to a decision that the whaling ship must be anointed and as a result, he alone come to a decision to anoint the ship which permits Queequeg the sacred right of personal participation in the anointing procedure, something usually referred to a religious person; Queequeg did not succeed to match this portrayal for he is a pagan as well as his deeds undermine traditional religious principles; anointing happens via the involvement of God as well as the anointing of the Pequod fails to be a sacred or spiritual communion with the Lord (Peretz, 2003). The author's conclusions are certainly more than just mischievous fun because of the dominance of religious statements all over Moby Dick; for he is writing at an particularly religious era in American history plus he wanted to try the religious force as well as confidence of the readers; he is not a religious fanatic and he wants his readers to ask if their religious beliefs are really their own or if they are just extensions from the up to standard views of society; he appears to lift up the person all through his writings, and gives confidence to his readers in opposition to agreeing to the morals given by society (Coviello, 2005)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville In this book, the author narrates a whaling adventure that the Captain Ahab hunts Moby Dick, the extremely large white whale that previously bit the Captain's leg him thus went after the whale to have his revenge -- from then on develop into his symbol of what is evil in the world; the Captain brought 30 sailors from various places who innocently join in order to follow his sole reason (Breejen, 2000). The book opens as the narrator particularly states, "Call me Ishmael," to begin with, Ishmael is the sole storyteller however following the Pequod departs the harbor, he repetitively fade away then returns to full importance; the name Ishmael can be found too in the Bible as in the Old Testament, Abraham's first son -- Ishmael happen to signify orphans, exiles as well as social outsiders; in story's first paragraph, Ishmael narrates that he went out in the ocean because he was feeling lonely from human society; Ishmael seems to be like the author in many ways: highly knowledgeable as well as philosophical; Ishmael view his ship companions as prime example of human nature and society, also narrates his tale implied in a wide range of factors, mainly taking place throughout parts that Ishmael gets seems to become knowledgeable (Dagovitz, 2008)
The book opens as the narrator particularly states, "Call me Ishmael," to begin with, Ishmael is the sole storyteller however following the Pequod departs the harbor, he repetitively fade away then returns to full importance; the name Ishmael can be found too in the Bible as in the Old Testament, Abraham's first son -- Ishmael happen to signify orphans, exiles as well as social outsiders; in story's first paragraph, Ishmael narrates that he went out in the ocean because he was feeling lonely from human society; Ishmael seems to be like the author in many ways: highly knowledgeable as well as philosophical; Ishmael view his ship companions as prime example of human nature and society, also narrates his tale implied in a wide range of factors, mainly taking place throughout parts that Ishmael gets seems to become knowledgeable (Dagovitz, 2008). Herman Melville seems to use Moby-Dick, the whale, as a representation of greatness -- the whale is an uncertain figure, illustrated in Chapter 42: The Whiteness of the Whale; the author describes "the whiteness" as missing color, where he one interprets it as an absence of meaning, that the whale cannot be described via the different narratives that Ishmael says; certainly, the broad discussion of the whale's different characteristics also provides this idea, the author made the whale an more unreadable character which real meaning cannot be illustrated by its history or physical features; the frequent unsuccessful efforts to look for the whale's solid description left the Sperm Whale, particularly Moby Dick, as theoretical as well as empty of any tangible meaning; by making the whale be an unexplained character, the author does not hold the whale down as an easy symbolic equivalent but rather gives a range of different explanation for Moby Dick (Davey, 2004)
Herman Melville seems to use Moby-Dick, the whale, as a representation of greatness -- the whale is an uncertain figure, illustrated in Chapter 42: The Whiteness of the Whale; the author describes "the whiteness" as missing color, where he one interprets it as an absence of meaning, that the whale cannot be described via the different narratives that Ishmael says; certainly, the broad discussion of the whale's different characteristics also provides this idea, the author made the whale an more unreadable character which real meaning cannot be illustrated by its history or physical features; the frequent unsuccessful efforts to look for the whale's solid description left the Sperm Whale, particularly Moby Dick, as theoretical as well as empty of any tangible meaning; by making the whale be an unexplained character, the author does not hold the whale down as an easy symbolic equivalent but rather gives a range of different explanation for Moby Dick (Davey, 2004). All over the author's writing of Moby Dick, rebellious religious suggestions were widespread, the whale head is compared to the protective covering which includes an internal spirituality within the whale -- the "sanctum sanctorum" described is the shrine enclosing the Arc of the Lord and Ishmael compares the whale head to this sanctuary; this thought agrees to a spiritual respect refers exclusively to the Lord symbolized to an animal; additionally, the huge "forehead" on the whale symbolizes fear and wonder into the people, similar to feeling the God's presence; in spiritual principles, God's actual presence, apparently fills fear into the people, not the simple object showing the God's presence -- Ishmael says that the forehead is so huge that one experiences "the Deity and the dread powers more forcibly than beholding any other object in living nature," this manner goes in opposition to religion's acknowledged principles that people must fear God, however not anything must set off fear for God will look after those who stick to his commandments as well as keep fear of the Lord (Peretz, 2003)
The novel highlights the struggle man labors to achieve meaning in nature, and the unresponsiveness of nature itself that eludes man. Nature in Moby-Dick refers to the completely external show and force of animate life in a world drastically emptied of God or a place where an insubstantial malignity has take control form the start (Bloom 120)
Moby-Dick inspires the environmental responsiveness of man and empowers humankind to shun anthropocentrism, but instead respect life and nature. There are numerous insanely destructive opponents in the novel; an oilman, an island property developer, or a thief after a ship filled with gold (Melville 6)
Moby-Dick inspires the environmental responsiveness of man and empowers humankind to shun anthropocentrism, but instead respect life and nature. There are numerous insanely destructive opponents in the novel; an oilman, an island property developer, or a thief after a ship filled with gold (Melville 6)
Another instance of fate is evident in the case of chapter 99. This relates to the prophecy by Fedallah and others thus a representation of the undercut in relation to the concept of fate in the development of the plot of the story (Casarino100)
was to put man's distinctly modern feeling of 'exile,' of abandonment, directly at the center of the stage. " (Chase 42)
Sometimes I think there's naught beyond." (Mansfield and Vincent 162) The white whale is a reality and a symbol for Ahab of the most important dimensions of philosophy and life
Captain Ahab is not introduced until Chapter Sixteen of the novel, and from the very first description of the legendary captain, it is quite clear that he is different from everyone else, from his physical appearance to his outlook and his desire to capture the giant whale, "Moby Dick." Another captain of the vessel says, "Clap eye on Captain Ahab, young man, and thou wilt find that he has only one leg'" (Melville 71)