Moby Dick Themes/Main Ideas

Obsession

Ahab’s single-minded obsession to hunt the White Whale is the central story of the novel, driving all the action and the characters to an inevitable fate. This burning hatred and need for revenge against a mute animal have robbed Ahab of almost all human-like emotions. He has already lost a limb. He has lost his young wife and child too when he embarks on this voyage. He is deaf to the entreaties of Starbuck, bullies his men to align themselves to his personal vendetta, thereby deviating from the official purpose of the voyage. His embittered self can be contrasted with Captain Boomer, who, despite losing an arm, had focused his energies on the positive and enriching aspects of life, rather than subjecting himself to a doomed quest. The crew of the Samuel Enderby likewise contrasts with the crew of the Pequod; they are a sociable group, not bound to the grimness of a doomed quest. Toward the end, though Ahab acknowledges to Starbuck in a rare moment of self-realization that he is driven by a “hidden lord and master,” a “cruel, remorseless emperor” that persuades him to act against his natural feelings, it is already too late. Ahab’s battered ego and self-obsessive actions lead not only to his death but his crew too, which emphasize the folly and cost of nurturing an obsession.

Brotherly Love and Comradeship

The men on the Pequod are tied together in their assigned purpose. For months they will be working together and, if required, will save each other’s lives. The crew comprises men of different religions, races, and colors. Despite some instances of tension and their fear of their captain, the crew works together seamlessly, thus developing a sense of comradeship on the ship. The element of brotherly love is more evident in Ishmael and Queequeg’s friendship. One is a white Christian and another is a black pagan. Despite the initial fear, Ishmael quickly recognizes the goodness in Queequeg. Their friendship starts from land and develops further on the ship, and ultimately it is Queequeg’s crafted coffin that saves Ishmael from drowning. For the nineteenth-century reader, such warmth and camaraderie between a Christian and a pagan would have been quite shocking. In developing this friendship, Melville offers a liberal and universal vision of the power and importance of truly loving one’s neighbor.

The Symbolic Greatness of the Whale

Throughout the novel, Ishmael digresses often to assert that the whale is unparalleled. He posits his argument from a variety of standpoints—whether anatomical or historical—that seek to prove the superiority of the whale over all other creatures. Ishmael indicates that whaling is a royal activity when he notes the devotion of Louis XVI to the whaling industry. He considers the whale as a delicacy fit for only the most civilized. Melville refers to the Indian legends of Vishnoo, the god who incarnated as a whale to save mankind. When he discusses the whale’s anatomy, he commends its body parts for its features, devoting an entire chapter to the whiteness of the whale, and lauds the nobility of its brows, equating the whale to God. This depiction of the whale as a superior and God-like entity renders the futility of Ahab’s quest to kill it as the whale stands for fate, divinity, and something invincible that cannot be conquered by man.