In the middle of the voyage, Ahab goes on a tangent about Moby Dick. He wants to get revenge so badly that at one point he admits, “…it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now…[I want] to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and all over sides of earth, till he spouts black bloods and rolls fin out.”(Melville 135). By Ahab admitting this out loud, he is accepting the fact that this voyage is not about hunting whales, it’s about him being on a quest for revenge and nothing can stop him. He continues on his tangent by asking questions to the crew with questions such as, “…wilt thou not chase the white whale? Art not game for Moby Dick?” (Melville 135). Starbuck, a member of the crew catches on that Ahab is telling them that they are on this voyage to get revenge on Moby Dick, not for whaling. Starbuck responds back with, “…but I came here to hunt whales, not my commanders vengeance. How many barrels will thy vengeance yield thee even if thou gettest it, Captain Ahab?” (Melville 135). Starbuck realizes how Ahab is beginning to become mentally unstable and tries to reason with him that this sacrifice is not worth it. Starbuck believes that it will be much more beneficial for everyone to not seek vengeance and continue to hunt whales and avoid the dangerous ones. Furthermore, when Ahab begins to take the whale out of context, the crew really begins to question his sanity. This scene was described as, “All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick.” (Melville 153). It is clear that Captain Ahab has a huge fixation on this whale. His fixation is so big
In the middle of the voyage, Ahab goes on a tangent about Moby Dick. He wants to get revenge so badly that at one point he admits, “…it was Moby Dick that dismasted me; Moby Dick that brought me to this dead stump I stand on now…[I want] to chase that white whale on both sides of land, and all over sides of earth, till he spouts black bloods and rolls fin out.”(Melville 135). By Ahab admitting this out loud, he is accepting the fact that this voyage is not about hunting whales, it’s about him being on a quest for revenge and nothing can stop him. He continues on his tangent by asking questions to the crew with questions such as, “…wilt thou not chase the white whale? Art not game for Moby Dick?” (Melville 135). Starbuck, a member of the crew catches on that Ahab is telling them that they are on this voyage to get revenge on Moby Dick, not for whaling. Starbuck responds back with, “…but I came here to hunt whales, not my commanders vengeance. How many barrels will thy vengeance yield thee even if thou gettest it, Captain Ahab?” (Melville 135). Starbuck realizes how Ahab is beginning to become mentally unstable and tries to reason with him that this sacrifice is not worth it. Starbuck believes that it will be much more beneficial for everyone to not seek vengeance and continue to hunt whales and avoid the dangerous ones. Furthermore, when Ahab begins to take the whale out of context, the crew really begins to question his sanity. This scene was described as, “All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick.” (Melville 153). It is clear that Captain Ahab has a huge fixation on this whale. His fixation is so big