A clue to what is qualitatively distinct about Ahab's purposefulness, however, can be found in Starbuck's objections to dedicating the Pequod's voyage to Moby-Dick's demise. ... Similarly, Starbuck does not see whaling as an end in itself, but merely as a means to his own ends-quite conventionally domestic ones, if we give weight to his wistful imagination of his homecoming, of "my Mary" and the boy's face at the window "the boy's hand on the hill" (778). ...

• Word Count: 955
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Graduate