An Analysis of "Moby Dick"

Paper Summary:

This paper approaches the novel "Moby Dick" from several vantage points. It analyzes Ahab's pursuit of Moby Dick from a religious and psychological perspective. The author also explores the other crew members' impression of whales and what they represent. The whales are given a pseudo-humanity and so reflect the same range of good and bad as do human beings.

From the Paper:

"Allegory is a strong element in Melville's Moby Dick, the primary allegory being the battle of good against evil on the sea of life. Melville develops conceptions of good and evil and imbeds them as allegory in the events of the novel. At the same time, this theme is developed with images of entrapment and enclosure representing the plight of man in the universe as well as the specific plight of the crew of the Pequod. In Moby Dick, the physical journey that takes place in search of whales becomes a spiritual journey on the part of Captain Ahab as he searches for the white whale, which represents his own inner turmoil. He and every member of his crew are entrapped on the Pequod, surrounded by the dangers of the sea, but each man is also surrounded by spiritual dangers which and the constant threat of death."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. New York: Crowell-Collier, 1962.

More papers on An Analysis of "Moby Dick":

• Book Review # 109383 : "Spirituality in "Moby Dick"
• Book Review # 109425 : "Moby Dick" and the Concept of Fate"
• Book Review # 109395 : "Moby Dick"

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