Nature’s power over man is clear throughout life. Man constantly attempts to overcome the strength of nature but fails. In the novel Moby Dick, the author, Herman Melville, depicts the white whale as a version of nature and Ahab and his crew as the man. In which Ahab and the crew are fighting Moby Dick for dominance like man fighting nature for power. Captain Ahab loses his leg from his first encounter with Moby Dick causing Ahab to seek vengeance. Eventfully, Captain Ahab gathers a crew who then considers Captain Ahab as an insane but determined individual. During their journey Ahab uses his need for vengeance to influence the crew to join his crusade which resulted in the death of almost all of the crew. The whale, Melville’s chosen element
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People urge for and believe in the concept of revenge, yet after the retaliation they don’t feel the expected satisfaction. In one experiment, Kevin Carlsmith and his colleagues set up a group investment game with students. After all the group members to invest equally, some decided not to go along with the intended plan, which allowed them to gain a higher average return rate. The students were then given the chance for revenge, in which every one of them took. “The results showed that…showed that revenge made them less happy.” (Hall, Karyn) Carlsmith goes on to state that revenge actually increases anger and causes people to keep thinking about the situation. In Moby Dick, Captain Ahab makes his first appearance to his crew and tells them that his main mission is to hunt the white whale. Finally, after Ahab is able to persuade his sailors they drink to their new goal. Ahab and his sailors make a toast, “Death to Moby Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his Death!” (Moby Dick, 175) At this point, the crew is joined Ahab’s insane crusade. When this determined vengeance seeking ship finally meets Moby Dick, they are demolished. Every hunting ship is sent out to attack this beast, even Ahab joins. Nature shows its powerful nature again, Moby Dick uses its power and crushed most of the crew. As shown, the need for vengeance did the Ahab and the crew no good. It stripped everything away from them; they lost their lives in a fight they never had a chance in winning. . “Even more, it is sometimes…even devastating consequences for all factions.” (Amegashie and Runkel, 314) Revenge does not result in satisfaction; it instead results in more
People urge for and believe in the concept of revenge, yet after the retaliation they don’t feel the expected satisfaction. In one experiment, Kevin Carlsmith and his colleagues set up a group investment game with students. After all the group members to invest equally, some decided not to go along with the intended plan, which allowed them to gain a higher average return rate. The students were then given the chance for revenge, in which every one of them took. “The results showed that…showed that revenge made them less happy.” (Hall, Karyn) Carlsmith goes on to state that revenge actually increases anger and causes people to keep thinking about the situation. In Moby Dick, Captain Ahab makes his first appearance to his crew and tells them that his main mission is to hunt the white whale. Finally, after Ahab is able to persuade his sailors they drink to their new goal. Ahab and his sailors make a toast, “Death to Moby Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his Death!” (Moby Dick, 175) At this point, the crew is joined Ahab’s insane crusade. When this determined vengeance seeking ship finally meets Moby Dick, they are demolished. Every hunting ship is sent out to attack this beast, even Ahab joins. Nature shows its powerful nature again, Moby Dick uses its power and crushed most of the crew. As shown, the need for vengeance did the Ahab and the crew no good. It stripped everything away from them; they lost their lives in a fight they never had a chance in winning. . “Even more, it is sometimes…even devastating consequences for all factions.” (Amegashie and Runkel, 314) Revenge does not result in satisfaction; it instead results in more