Biblical Allusions In Moby Dick

Chapter 1- In order for every trip to be a quest, the story needs a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges along the way, and a real reason to be going there. In Moby Dick, the quester is a man named Ishmael, who longs to see the world. Hence, he partakes in Captain Ahab’s revenge-fueled adventure across the oceans. Some challenges along Ishmaels journey is traveling to Nantucket, encountering his soon-to-be “savage” friend in a local hotel, and pick out a vessel in which to sail. Then, he has other problems after the voyage goes underway, such as Ahab’s relentless search for the White Whale, which causes him to be harsh to his crew. Ishmael’s real reason for partaking in this journey is to see the world, and experience …show more content…
Therefore, the name Ishmael in literature is usually tied to the character who plays the outcast. While the Moby Dick Ishmael wasn’t entirely an outcast, he really has no significant role in the story other than to record the events that surround him. What makes him an outcast is that he is new to the Whaling industry, so he is inexperienced, which makes him an outcast in the eyes of the rest of the crew. Also, Captain Ahab has many similarities to King Ahab, an Israeli King in the …show more content…
The weather here represents more than just the season, as most of the crew is upset that they have not yet met Captain Ahab, who held their lives in his hands. However, once they pass into tropical climates, this represents the out coming of Ahab from his cabin, and the uplifting spirits of the crew. With the Captain making a deal to the crew in order to have maximum effort to finding the White Whale, the crew is even more determined to be the one who spots