In five pages this paper examines the author's use of foreshadowing and religious imagery throughout the novel in a consideration of the fates of the Pequod, its crew, and Captain Ahab. One source is cited in the bibliography.
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of Melvilles classic novel, Moby Dick has now become part of the popular culture. Even people who have never read Moby Dick, know who Moby Dick is. They also know
Moby Dicks sworn enemy, Captain Ahab. If the book were read for no other reason than to enjoy the adventure of it, it would still be worth it. However, there
is so much more to be netted from this tale than a mere story of swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. One finds oneself hoping that the crew will be
successful in their mission, but in the end, if one notices Melvilles biblical symbols and imagery, it becomes clear that Melville has sealed their fate from the beginning. In
the first section of a novel, the characters are introduced and their desires made known. The story is a tale of the voyage of a whaling vessel called the Pequod
and especially of its infamous and driven captain, Captain Ahab. Ahab, who becomes obsessed with killing the sperm whale he holds responsible for all his lifes ills, hunts the
whale, whom he names Moby Dick, at all costs, placing his own lie as well as the lives of his crew in jeopardy. One sailor, called Ishmael, chronicles the fantastic
journey. Immediately, the reader is shocked by Ahabs assertion and assumption that he is like God, that he holds the ultimate power of life or death. Ahab again states
this idea when he compares himself to God as the lord over the Pequod in chapter 109. This assertion by the protagonist makes him not only an unlikable character, but
sets him up ultimately to fail, as no one can go against God and win. In fact, as one voyages further into the text, Ahab seems to reject God altogether,