Metamorphosis of Ishmael in Moby Dick
In Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ishmael undergoes drastic changes in his personality and in the way he views life. Ishmael learns to accept people who are different and learns how to get along with people he never would of on land because of the way they look. On land, the world's affairs are important but by taking a voyage on the Pequod, Ishmael learns to block out the importance of these affairs and free himself from the restraints put on him by society on land. Ishmael has founds a place more beautiful and more peaceful than anywhere on land by journeying out on the ocean. The changes Ishmael went through from land to sea were beneficial to him.
Once Ishmael began voyaging on the Pequod, he stopped judging people based on their appearance. When Ishmael found out that a harpooner (Queequeg) was to be his bedmate, he was scared to sleep in the same bed with this savage. "A peddler of heads too- perhaps the heads of his own brothers. He might take a fancy to mine- heavens! Look at that tomahawk" (Melville 31)! This passage explains Ishmael searching through Queequeg's valuables to find out what he is like instead of meeting Queequeg first and finding out what kind if person he truly is. One cannot truly know another person without delving into the depths of the others' mind. "I pay this particular compliment to Queequeg, because he treated me with so much civility and consideration, while I was guilty of great rudeness;" (Melville 35). This quote exemplifies Ishmael's new understanding that he should not judge people by their physical features and habits. He finds out that such savages can be kind and hospitable even though they harpoon whales and sell heads for a living. B...
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...le 442 ). Ishmael tells how the Pacific Ocean was everything he has asked for. With the ocean, Ishmael has found meaning in life and has now seen what life is all about. He went on this journey to find meaning and beauty in life, and the ocean is where h found it all. For Ishmael, there is no place more fit for him to be than the rolling blue ocean.
Ishmael has changed from being unhappy on land and now happy at sea. While at sea, he has increased his morality, found happiness and discovered the beauty in life and nature. These changes Ishmael has gone through while on the ocean have all been for the better. As one finds their true love in a partner, Ishmael has found his true love in the ocean. From land to sea, Ishmael has changed into a better and happier man.
Works Cited:
Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
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Before exploring Ishmael, Ahab, and Moby Dick and their Biblical counterparts, it is important to understand Melville's background. He grew up as a baptized Calvinist in the Dutch Reformed Church. His parents trained him to obey God at all times, even if God’s commands seem unjust and cruel. However, he quickly turned against his faith after his father died. During his travels, he witnessed diseases, catastrophes, and hatred throughou...
It is with "the poor devil of a Sub-Sub" that Ishmael's voice first makes itself heard. The Sub-Sub who has "gone through the long Vaticans and street-stalls" (Extracts: 2) to find mundane but diverse images of whales is toasted as one who will soon expel the archangel triumvirate "Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael" in heaven but will be forgotten here on Earth. The Sub-Sub (who is of course forgotten for the rest of the novel) plots the course for the entire narrative. What can at first be regarded as a hodge-podge of space-filling references becomes Ishmael's guarantor of success in the role of narrator. For if we are to take on Ishmael as our guide to the Sperm Whale world, then we need to be confident in his abilities. The jumb...
Herman Melville’s stories of Moby Dick and Bartleby share a stark number of similarities and differences. Certain aspects of each piece seem to compliment each other, giving the reader insight to the underlying themes and images. There are three concepts that pervade the two stories making them build upon each other. In both Moby Dick and Bartleby the main characters must learn how to deal with an antagonist, decide how involved they are in their professions, and come to terms with a lack of resolution.
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I strongly suggest we find a way to stop abortion. It is the killing of a human being waiting on his/her chance to live their life. What gives us the right to take that away from them? What a horrible mother that is. Just as child protection services would do for a born baby, we should do for a baby not yet given the chance to live.