Upon considering the two contrasting point-of-views in Herman Melville's Moby Dick and Sena Jeter Naslund's Ahab's Wife, the reader tends to be brought back to one vital character: Captain Ahab. While the two novels contain contrasts between the presentation of the whaling way of life and the presentation of all the characters, the narrators" presentation of Ahab says a lot about the point of view in general. In Ahab's Wife, Una continually presents Ahab as a caring husband, whereas in Moby Dick, Ishmael presents Ahab as a vengeful, mean-spirited captain. While the two narrators present Ahab in two totally different perspectives, when it all comes down to it, they both shed light on the aspect of Ahab that makes him a madman. .
Una's view of Ahab can essentially be summed up within the first few lines of the book:.
"Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last. Yet, looking up--into the clouds--I conjure him there: his gray-white hair; his gathered brow; and the zaggy mark (I saw it when lying with him by candlelight and, also, taking our bliss on the sunny moor among curly-cup gumweed and lamb's ear.)" .
This sentimental description provides great contrast with Ishmael's initial description of Ahab:.
"So powerfully did the whole grim aspect of Ahab affect me, and the livid brand which streaked it, that for the first few moments I hardly noted that not a little of this overbearing grimness was owing to the barbaric white leg upon which he partly stood." .
These attitudes continue throughout their respective novels. Throughout Moby Dick, however, not only does Ishmael describe Ahab as grim and dreary, but he also presents him as a madman, forever plagued by the great white whale. By the end of Ahab's Wife, Una at many points mentions that Ahab might possibly be going mad just as Kit, her first husband, did. It seems that in the conclusion of this novel, Una has all along known, but not chosen to describe, what Ishmael points out throughout Moby Dick.
The first connection between Ahab and evil is his obsession with getting revenge one Moby-Dick. ... Using this painstakingly crafted map, Ahab is able to predict where he can have his vengeful encounter with Moby-Dick. ... Lastly, Ahab's treatment of Moby-Dick is very brutal. ... Because Ahab hates a godlike creature, he can be compared to the Devil. ... Ahab is closely linked with evil in Moby-Dick. ...
In Moby Dick, Herman Melville frequently uses biblical and mythological allusions. ... He was disowned in favor of Isaac, Abraham's son with his wife Sarah. ... I Kings describes the conflict between King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. ... Another mythological allusion Melville used in Moby Dick is mentioned of the Fares. ... The allusions in Moby Dick are to commonly known people and conflicts. ...
The Redeeming value of Moby Dick Moby Dick was, in the physical, written to tell a story of the ever-allusive white whale. ... Through the novel, When Moby Dick comes in contact with people, he has harpoons thrown into his side, just as Jesus was stabbed in his side. ... Captain Ahab was one of the key beneficiaries of the judgement of Moby Dick, when he lost his leg. ... Ahab's main objective was to discredit and destroy Moby Dick. ... Comparing the book, Moby Dick, to spiritual life, one can clearly see that God can and does use anything,"To the weak, I became weak, to win the wea...
Soon afterward, the crew found out that Ahab's real purpose was to take revenge on the white whale, Moby Dick, which bit off his leg on the previous voyage. ... As the ship was destroyed by the Moby Dick, it sinks. ... Individualism in Moby Dick. ... Captain Ahab, by contrast, never repented for his crazed desire to kill the White Whale, so he doomed himself and his whole crew to destruction. ... Moby Dick is a great example of nature's destructive way. ...
Through out Moby Dick, the whale is given divine qualities and often compared to God. Just as many people fear God they also feared Moby Dick. ... Ahab, on they other hand, believes that Moby Dick is a sign of all that is evil with the world, and he feels that it is his destiny to destroy this symbol of evil. ... Melville shows that Moby Dick is capable of great violence. ... Moby Dick is symbolic of nature. ...
The ships leave a foreshadowing image and warnings awaiting Ahab, captain of the Pequod, if he continues his pursuit of Moby Dick. ... When Captain Ahab asks if they have spotted Moby Dick, Captain Mayhew replies, "Think, think of thy whale-boat, stoven and sunk! ... Captain Ahab then tells his plans of going after Moby Dick to the crew of the Jeroboam, which is then followed by shouts of dire warning by Gabriel to Captain Ahab. ... Finally, Captain Ahab comes in contact with the Delight. ... However, Captain Ahab argues this by showing his harpoon that he will use to kill Moby Dick. ...
Ahab is invigorated with the thought of power and wants "God to hunt them all" if Moby Dick is not brought to his death (Melville160). Ahab feels he controls the ultimate destiny of the crew and Moby Dick. ... Ahab's blood is at the "boiling point" because he is so obsessed with finding and killing Moby Dick (Melville 427). ... With each passing day, Ahab's obsession to hunt down and kill Moby Dick increases, which in the end turns out to be a fateful decision. ... Ahab "spits his last breath at [Moby Dick]" in an effort to leave him with no respect (Melville, 550). ...
But apparently Ahab took it personally and held a grudge that grew into a monomaniacal hatred of Moby Dick. While Moby Dick went out of his way to avoid hurting a human again, Ahab went insane hunting down Moby Dick to avenge himself. ... And Ahab kept on giving him more boats to pick his teeth with. ... Ahab kept following Moby Dick and persisting in trying (unsuccessfully) to kill him. ... Ahab, in one last deranged attempt to kill Moby Dick, threw a harpoon, which he became fatally entangled in. ...
Likewise, in Herman Melville's classic novel "Moby Dick" (1851), Captain Ahab is responsible for his very own demise because the decisions he has made. ... Thus, Ahab is responsible for his own demise because he lacks communication with the crew. ... For instance, when the Pequod met the Jeroboam, a whaling ship that encounter Moby Dick, Ahab ignores Gabriel's warning that he will "soon [be] going that way" towards death if he chases Moby Dick, but similar Ahab disregards warning illustrating his self-importance over others predestination" (Melville 308). In addition, Ahab is seen ...
