Moby Dick

Moby Dick is a news report ab egress mans abiding fascination and struggle with the ocean, and his zest to unravel the mysteries of the of late. The sea in Herman Melvilles 1851 novel becomes the context within which the author explores profound and ecumenic themes about aliveness and living. The story tells the story of vengeful captain as seen by dint of he a stowaway sailor, Ishmael, who wanders and aboards the whaling ship, Pequod. The Pequod is commandeered by a certain lord Ahab, whom Ishmael meets only when the Pequod has g mavin to sea.Later on, Ishmael realizes that Captain Ahab has more smutty plans which went beyond simple commercial endeavors. While the Pequod is a whaling ship and her conspiracy is supposed to catch hulks for trade, Captian Ahab intends to use the ship and her crew to exact retaliation on a whale that has gravely injured and disfigured him. The whales name is Moby Dick, and the novel revolves around Ahabs chase for this immense creature amid the vast and unforgiving sea, as seen through the eyes of fresh Ishmael. Ishmael plays no actual role in the unfolding of the story rather, he serves as the authors narrator and the instrument by which the author testifyes his profound musings on whales, whaling, and whalers and the relationships that each has to the other.Much scholarly discussion has been do on Moby Dick and the underlying themes that buttress the story. As such, this paper intends to satisfy on the story and frame the analysis within the context of one specific passage in the keep back. The particular reiterate goes perchance they were or perhaps there might have been shoals of them in the furthermost skyline but lulled into such an opium-like slackness of va brookt, unconscious reverie is this absent-minded youth by the blending cadence of waves with thoughts, that at last he loses his identity takes the private oceans at his feet for the microscopical image of that deep, blue, bottomless soul, pervad ing mankind and nature and whole(prenominal) strange, half-seen, gliding, beautiful involvement that eludes him every dimly-discovered, up-rising volt of some indiscernible form, seems to him the build of those elusive thoughts that only people the soul by continually flitting through it. (p. 152)These public lecture to were told by an experienced whaler to a newfangled and waxlike lad, like an old man passing on his wisdom and emotional state experiences to the next generation, in the hopes that they might glean valuable lessons from it. The whaler notices that the immature sailor has been going out to sea for three years already, without transmissible a single whale all those dates. Thus the whaler goes to ricochet on the elusive whale and the seemingly endless search for them. Perhaps they were or perhaps there might have been shoals of them in the far horizonAt first sight and given the context of the book, it is intelligible that the whaler is talking about wha les in this line. The whaler waxes about the vastness of the ocean and that somewhere in this immense space lie an teemingness of whales, whales which he has spent all his life hunting. However upon deeper analysis, one can see that the whaler is not honest talking about whales. He is wax about ones search for dreams and the hopes for a give out life, and that one can spend a lifetime chasing without ever sensing those precious dreams. On the other hand, those who remain true to the chase and never turn their back on the sea will eventually be rewarded by a harvest of fulfilled dreams.But lulled into such an opium-like listlessness of vacant, unconscious reverie is this absent-minded youth by the blending cadence of waves with thoughts, that at last he loses his identity Again the whaler speaks of whales and why most of them are hard to find. The whaler speaks of those who lose themselves in the vastness of the sea because of their youth and lack of direction. This perhaps is a veiled warning to the young sailor that life can be mis prolonging and double-tongued, and those who are withal reckless may find themselves irretrievably helpless.Takes the mystic oceans at his feet for the visible image of that deep, blue, bottomless soul, pervading mankind and nature and every strange, half-seen, gliding, beautiful thing that eludes him Here the whaler explains why whales can get lost. The whales are tempted by reckless instincts to explore the unknown. Enticed by the mysteries and beauties of the deep, the whale may be coaxed into plunging into deep waters where he is not equipped with the capacity to survive. Whales, being mammals, submit oxygen to breathe, and as such, they need to break the surface of the water every once in a while.When whales go too deep or explore too far, their oxygen reserves may run out too soon, and they run out of air before they can be adrift to the surface. Young whales that are too reckless drown because they gave in to the tem ptations of the deep. In contrast, older whales, wiser and more experienced, know how far they can go in the ocean. Again the whaler may very well be waxing about life, and how the impudence and lack of respect for the sea can lead sailors and whales alike to the eternal embrace of the oceans depths.Every dimly-discovered, up-rising fin of some indiscernible form seems to him the embodiment of those elusive thoughts that only people the soul by continually flitting through it. This again is an elaboration of the deceitful nature of appearances that physical forms almost always belie its true nature. ofttimes the ones that come in the most attractive guises are those that are the most destructive in life, and whales, plainly like humans are tempted just the uniform.The passage discussed in this paper symbolizes the very essence of what the novel is about. It dialog about youth and dreams, and how such can be easily lost and wasted. It withal talks about how whales, just like huma ns, can angle of dip into the illusion of invincibility and fall prey to all kinds of temptations. The quote is also part of mans constant struggle to understand and check nature.The whales, as described by the veteran whaler, are abundant, but given the vastness of the sea, are hard to find. The whales are also symbolic of all the things that we are obsessed about, regardless of whether it is a futile chase or not. As Ishmael said, There is, one knows not what sweet arcanum about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some privy soul beneath (361) Perhaps, the whaler as he was saying those words is also waxing about his own life, and how it once was so generous of promise. In the same token, he might also be talking about Captain Ahab and how he has lost himself in the empty inquisition of revenge. The line which describes how whales may be lost may be representative of Ahabs own disregard for his life and those of his crew he is consumed with the desire to e xact revenge, and he will never find rest until he meets the whale once again. In that sense he is lost and drowning in his blind obsession with vengeance.The passage encapsulates the tremendous scope of Moby Dick as it tackles simultaneous social, religious, and personal issues all in one novel. While the book is a story of adventure and a chronicle at sea, it is a tale of life and all the wonderful and terrifying things about it. That the quote being analyzed in this paper lends itself to so many interpretations speaks of the image of the novel itself. Moby Dick can be different things to different people. A persons interpretation of the book also depends on their received situation and their perception of the story changes when their situation changes as well.Moby Dick is more practically than not heterogeneous and mutable, constantly shifting and redefining itself (Brodhead 4) and does not lend itself to be special(a) to a particular literary genre. And the fact that it suc ceeds at being elusive, is a part of the character of the novel itself. same the elusive Moby Dick, the novel itself is undefined in the immensity of its scope. However, while the novel tackles a myriad of themes, his plectrum of the sea as the general setting is explained in Ishmaels words, If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me. (14) Indeed, the seas appeal is universal and it touches to some basic aspect of our common land humanity. By the sea, we feel intimations of our smallness and greatness all at the same time.Indeed, the book Moby Dick is filled with veiled and not-so-veiled philosophical musings about life and living. The sea has always been considered symbolic of life and its hidden meanings and challenges. Moby Dick, while fancied is not a product of the authors imagination. Herman Melville knew what he was talking about, having worked in a whaling ship when he was twent y-one years old.Herman, just like Ishmael, feels like an outsider of life, an outcast because of the circumstances of his lowly birth. It has often been said that Ishmael is Hermans alter ego, through which Herman was able to express himself and all his thoughts about his life. The sea in Herman Melvilles Moby Dick represents life, in all its magnificence and enormity and the beauty and dangers that lie in its surface. Like Ahab, we all long to master our ship and triumph over the monsters of the deep. not because of sheer folly but because of our fundamental need to understand the unknown.ReferencesMelville, Herman. Moby Dick. redundant Label Books. 1851.Retrieved on December 13, 2007 from https//books.google.com.ua/books?id=cYKYYypj8UAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=moby+dick&redir_esc=yv=onepage&q=moby%20dick&f=false.Brodhead, Richard. New Essays on Moby-Dick. Cambridge University Press. 1986.