Homeward Bound in Moby Dick, by Herman Melville

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Moby Dick, written by Herman Melville, is believed by some to be the greatest literary works of all time. The book takes place in the 1840s and seems greatly advanced for its time. Herman Melville uses many literary techniques that bring about severe imagery as well as insight and education to the readers. One concept that is conveyed in Moby Dick is the journey itself. This is broken into the physical journey, the spiritual journey, and life’s journey.

The physical journey of Moby Dick is depicted by the information gained of the labor intensive actions performed on the Pequod as well as other whaling ships. Life on whaling ships does not seem very relaxed. Many hours of sleep are lost at night, some do not sleep at all, and when you are not sleeping you are working. Constantly lowering the smaller boats into the water, killing the whale, and towing the lifeless mammal back to the main ship are quite a task. Many dangers are associated with this physical journey. For example, great danger is caused from men being thrown overboard traveling to go kill the whale which can lead to great injury or death.

A portion of the book that shows the great imagery of Herman Melville as well as the dangers of the physical journey is when Tashtego falls into the head of the whale and is basically lost. He fell into the whale because the whole crew was working on the whale to extract the oil. Tashtego could have easily died at this event if Queequeg would not have rescued him. Some literary techniques that Melville uses in these scenes are outstanding. He associates Queequegs rescue of Tashtego with that of delivering a child from the womb, (the whale’s head being the womb).

Another danger that is shown from the physical journey is an iss...

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... Because the story ends here it is unknown if Ishmael experience has answered some questions for him while on his life journey. It is a pleasant thought that he would return to land and begin to live his life to the fullest because he can now realize that he should use his education to its highest expectation and potential.

The journey’s that have been endured in this story are very great and important. These three types of journeys are ones that can be and are experienced in everyday life. The physical journey on the Pequod shows the hardships and dangers in life, the spiritual journey of Ahab can be related to the motives of others in life weather it is obsessive or unselfish, and then life’s journey which is what you yourself makes your life out to be.

Works Cited

Melville, Herman. "Moby-Dick." W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1967.

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