If a fire ever breaks out in a person 's home, the first instinct should be to remove all living beings in the residency. If by chance however, a person is next to their book shelf at the time of the incident, the only book worthy of saving would be Moby Dick by Herman Melville. While that statement is a tall order, simply analyzing the novel 's characters and themes is enough to leave a person with questions that would take an eternity to answer. The narrator opens immediately with one of the most iconic statements in English literature, "Call me Ishmael", creating and instant relationship between the narrator and reader. The protagonist decides that he wants to explore life as a whaler, but before finding a crew and setting sail, he checks
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Therefore it is understandable why the book did not do well commercially upon initial release in the mid-1800 's. As it is written, it can quickly become very droll and passed off simply as a book that goes into meticulous detail about whaling. The story demands multiple readings to understand some of the subject matter, like what Father Mapple tried to teach through his sermon on Jonah and the whale. While the sermon doesn 't seem completely out of place on the first read through, it can initially be difficult to understand why it takes up a whole chapter. Fortunately the sermon takes place in the beginning of the story. Thus, upon starting a second time, the reader can effortlessly see that the story of Jonah, as told through Father Mapple, is about how people need to disobey their own desires and acquiesce to the will of God. Ahab 's quest makes defiance one of the most predominant themes in the book. He is told by shipmates, self-proclaimed prophets and essentially nature itself, that seeking vengeance would be a fool 's errand. Ahab refuses to submit to the suggestions and says that he is not looking to take revenge on the whale, but to kill what it represents. To Ahab, the whale symbolizes a higher power trying to take dominion over …show more content…
The whale can represent everything evil and since evil exists everywhere on earth, this would explain why there have been simultaneous sightings of Moby Dick in different parts of the world. The whiteness of Moby Dick can also be a symbol for an empty, godless, and uncertain universe. The aforementioned idea works well in conjunction with the opening line. The narrator tells the reader "[c]all me Ishmael" rather than being more affirmative; this immediately sets all kinds of wheels turning in the reader 's mind on whether the narrator is unreliable or worse, a liar. But, does it matter whether or not the narrator is being truthful? Considering white is the lack of color and the combination of all colors, the whale is also a symbol of the raw truth that no matter what is done, the totality of the universe adds up to nothing. The whale serves as a reminder that, if a person chooses to seek meaning in life, they better prepare for
Therefore it is understandable why the book did not do well commercially upon initial release in the mid-1800 's. As it is written, it can quickly become very droll and passed off simply as a book that goes into meticulous detail about whaling. The story demands multiple readings to understand some of the subject matter, like what Father Mapple tried to teach through his sermon on Jonah and the whale. While the sermon doesn 't seem completely out of place on the first read through, it can initially be difficult to understand why it takes up a whole chapter. Fortunately the sermon takes place in the beginning of the story. Thus, upon starting a second time, the reader can effortlessly see that the story of Jonah, as told through Father Mapple, is about how people need to disobey their own desires and acquiesce to the will of God. Ahab 's quest makes defiance one of the most predominant themes in the book. He is told by shipmates, self-proclaimed prophets and essentially nature itself, that seeking vengeance would be a fool 's errand. Ahab refuses to submit to the suggestions and says that he is not looking to take revenge on the whale, but to kill what it represents. To Ahab, the whale symbolizes a higher power trying to take dominion over …show more content…
The whale can represent everything evil and since evil exists everywhere on earth, this would explain why there have been simultaneous sightings of Moby Dick in different parts of the world. The whiteness of Moby Dick can also be a symbol for an empty, godless, and uncertain universe. The aforementioned idea works well in conjunction with the opening line. The narrator tells the reader "[c]all me Ishmael" rather than being more affirmative; this immediately sets all kinds of wheels turning in the reader 's mind on whether the narrator is unreliable or worse, a liar. But, does it matter whether or not the narrator is being truthful? Considering white is the lack of color and the combination of all colors, the whale is also a symbol of the raw truth that no matter what is done, the totality of the universe adds up to nothing. The whale serves as a reminder that, if a person chooses to seek meaning in life, they better prepare for