Moby Dick

On the surface, the novel Moby Dick is a novel about whaling and seafaring. However, when read in a deeper point of view, this novel can be a reflection of the world. According to Crawford, author of An Outline-History of American Literature, this novel reflects “the will of man pitted against infinite evil in the…

The narrator, Ishmael, declares his intention to embark on a whaling ship. While he has sailed many times as a sailor, he has never been on a whaling expedition before. Upon arriving in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Ishmael finds lodging in a crowded whalers’ inn. Due to limited space, he is required to share a bed…

Both novels, Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ and Melville’s ‘Moby Dick’, have two pivotal characters that have an amazing mirror-like similarity between each other — more than what would be originally realized. Although the two characters have many relating aspects, there is one specific category which both of these characters fit very well into when both…

Melville’s uncanny ability to weave together political satire and metaphysical perplexities seals his fate one of the great American novelists. The immense social change occurring during the mid 19th century certainly captivated Melville’s attention, despite his apparent disinterest in running for any sort of political office. The Pequod’s diversity of whites, blacks, and natives, who…

Melville’s Moby Dick is rich with symbolism and its namesake is no exception. Melville’s commitment to biblical references is unwavering, but it is not until Ahab is formally introduced that Melville makes clear that the formidable sperm whale is more than just a lucrative commodity. Melville’s familiarity with Calvinist doctrine and perhaps his own internal…

In Life of Pi, when Pi was a young boy, he was dared by his brother Ravi to “Run into that church and drink the holy water” (Life of Pi). As he attempts this, a clergy confronts him in a respectful and polite manner asking him if he is thirsty. This interaction abolishes Pi’s preconceived…

Ethics is the system of moral principles. Ethics is dealing with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy. Ethics covers what is ‘right’ and “wrong.” Our concepts of ethics come from religions, cultures, traditions, and philosophers. Ethical theories are divided into two parts: normative ethics and meta-ethics. Herman…

In the novel Moby-Dick Captain Ahab represents aspects of capitalism in many ways. One of the most prominent ways is through his single-minded quest to kill Moby Dick and his methods of convincing the crew to go along with his plan. It is true that by going on this quest of revenge the Pequod would…

There are numerous characters in Moby Dick, but only a few of themhave any impact on the story. A common sailor named Ishmael is thenarrator. The book, however, focuses on Captain Ahab, the one-leggedcommander of the whaling ship Pequod. Ahab has sworn to kill thegigantic whale Moby Dick, who took away his leg. Starbuck is…