Moby Dick And The Goney Analysis

The initial ship that the Pequod comes into contact with in Moby-Dick is with a whale ship named “The Goney” (Melville 194). Although the two whaling ships pass by each other in close proximity, the men aboard the Goney, a Nantucket ship named for the Albatross, remain silent until monomaniac Ahab presents the captain with the familiar question “Have ye seen the White Whale?” disregarding any Gam etiquette of a friendly introduction and invitation to board the Pequod. (195). In response to Ahab, on account of the wind, the captain of The Goney attempts to respond with his trumpet, though he drops it “into the sea” and therefore fails to respond to Ahab’s question (195). Thematically, the interaction between The Goney and The Pequod endorses

the notion of bad omens, foreshadowing, and the struggle between nature and man. The Goney’s captain’s ability to communicate with Ahab is seemingly blocked by natural forces, such as the wind and the currents. This challenges the concept of man being able to control nature; systematically suggesting that man cannot control, and therefore understand, nature. Melville includes this Gam early in the book to promote the structural development of Moby Dick throughout the novel. This first Gam, although not explicitly written, promotes a mysterious connotation with Moby Dick, adding a degree of fear to the white whale among whalers’ around the world. Moreover, a bad omen is emphasized when Ahab observes the school of fish fleeing the Pequod with “shuddering fins” (195). This foreshadows the inevitable doom of The Pequod, in which the pursuit of the inscrutable will ultimately lead to the ship’s downfall.
The second of the nine Gams, however the first “Gam” per se by definition, is with a ship named the “Town-ho”, who encountered Moby Dick previously (199). The story of the Town-Ho, however, is kept partially secret from both Ahab and the Town-ho’s captain. Tashtego learns of the story details and takes an oath to keep quiet, although he eventually is forced to reveal the story to some of his shipmates. The mortal story of the power struggle between two men, Steelkilt and Radney, results in a ghastly death caused by Moby Dick. Thematically the notion of secrecy associated with the Town-ho’s story endorses another greater force that influences the actions of man and impedes communication in contrast to the force of nature that restricted communication with The Goney. The suspicion and secrecy regarding the fact that Steelkilt planned to kill Radney prevents the men from telling the story to Ahab, and therefore failing to convey a warning that Moby Dick may be, indeed, be the defender of justice among the ocean that possesses great lethality and a moral force. Structurally, Melville further develops Moby Dick’s traits and reveals another side of nature through Moby Dick’s actions, in which he saves able Steelkilt from committing a murder that would morally burden him for the rest of his life. This fundamental idea of Moby Dick possessing qualities that promote justice that Melville reveals allows for deliberation of whether Moby Dick is actually an evil force of nature or rather an ambiguous force of morality. The result of this vengeance never reaches Ahab, who is essentially fated to the same death.
“The Jeroboam”, which is the third whale ship that the Pequod encounters, reveals the thematic notion of prophecy and materializing the divine into physical earthly elements. Despite an epidemic aboard the Jeroboam in which Ahab “fears not”, the ship’s captain, alongside the self-proclaimed Archangel Gabriel, approach the Pequod to converse and exchange news (252). Ahab asks the two “Hast thou seen the White Whale?” in which Gabriel reveals that Moby Dick is “no less a being than the Shaker God incarnated” (252). This concept reflects the ship’s biblical name, the Jeroboam, reflecting Gabriel's belief in the white whale as a Godly figure. He furthermore tells the story in which Macey, an old shipmate, pursued the white whale, or in Gabriel’s perspective the divine, and was consequently killed. Through Gabriel's warnings and prophecies, Melville reveals the thematic element of a man possessing mortality challenging the divine, and the consequences that materialize among any man who attempts to surpass his mortal limitations. Structurally, Melville continues to develop qualities Moby Dick and the perspective of him among other sailors, leading up to the ultimate climax of the novel in which Ahab attempts to kill him. The Gam culminates in Gabriel tossing a letter to (dead) Macey back at Ahab, saying that Ahab “art soon going that way” and will suffer the same death inflicted by Moby Dick (254).
The Jungfrau is the next ship that the Pequod meets, which is a German ship that fittingly means “virgin” on account of the ship’s relative inexperience and lack of success.

Melville includes this Gam structurally in order to promote both the economic and thematic elements of whaling- setting a basis for each level of interpretation of the novel to further develop. Melville includes the Jungfrau Gam to thematically emphasize Ahab’s limited mental capacity and the notion of searching for the truth, or inscrutable meaning of reality, in the wrong places. Ahab, despite knowing that the Jungfrau is extremely inexperienced and limited in knowledge regarding whales, continues to “abruptly accost” the Jungfrau’s captain regarding Moby Dick, of whom they are ignorant to (277). Ahab’s increased isolation and obsession with Moby Dick encourages his lack of judgment and decreased cognitive capacity. Melville seeks to endorse the consequences of becoming consumed with monomania that simple distinctions become impossible and isolation increases. Moreover, Ahab leaves the Jungfrau to chase a finback whale, which is nearly impossible to catch. Although Ahab can recognize the foolish task of this chase, he cannot recognize that his own task is unobtainable. Furthermore, the economic view that the Jungfrau has been unsuccessful reflects Ahab’s quest, in which his undying ambition to uncover the meaning of reality through Moby Dick has the potential to turn up empty, yielding no

meaning.
The French Bouton De Rose, or ironically called the Rose Bud even with the , is another inexperienced ship that the Pequod encounters who has never heard of Moby Dick. In this Gam, Stubb cunningly convinces that the sick, smelly whales that the Rose Bud has caught may transfer disease to the crew so that he may take the whale for the Pequod to harvest “ambergris” (317). Stubb describes the crew among the Rose Bud as “poor devils in the fishery”, who neither works on the ship efficiently nor seems to pursue further knowledge of whaling (313). Melville includes this notion of time inefficiency and a lack of knowledge to emphasize the theme of limits on knowledge, or ignorance. The notion of hierarchy among the whaling profession is also implied, in which more knowledgeable individuals may trick others to promote their own agenda. This supports the dominant theme of “striking through the mask”, in which Stubb, in ill-behavior, seems to be genuinely friendly and concerned, when in reality he is stealing from the Rose Bud.
In contrast to the Rose Bud and the Jungfrau, the Enderby is an English ship that has encountered Moby Dick, much to Ahab’s excitement. Captain Boomer of the Enderby, alongside his whale surgeon, tells Ahab the story of how he lost his arm to Moby Dick. The contrast between Ahab and Captain Boomer represents the two perspectives on life, in which one continuously searches to understand at a deeper level the meaning of the universe, and the other who is content with his knowledge. Unlike Ahab, Captain Boomer does not associate Moby Dick with a divine force or even the mask of nature, but rather a piece of economical value (oil) that is off-limits or unobtainable. Captain Boomer, when he tells Ahab that he is content with leaving the white whale alone, says, “ain’t one limb enough? What should I do without this other arm? […] he’s best left alone” (339). Ahab, to this, says that “[Moby Dick] will still be hunted”, as the object of Ahab’s revenge and his pursuit to find the meaning of the universe (340). Ahab, previous to this Gam, has reigned relatively unchallenged by the perspectives of others. Melville includes this Gam about mid-way through the journey in order to recognize a foil to Ahab, one who holds a contrasting view of the whale as a result of a similar experience.
A terribly successful whaling ship, The homebound Bachelor, contains a magnitude of whale oil and represents the bliss associated with a life perspective ulterior to Ahab’s. The “gay Bachelor’s commander” responds to the inevitable question about the white whale by Ahab “No, only heard of him; but don’t believe in him” (375). This disbelief of Moby Dick contributes to the life perspective of ignoring the possibility of a greater force and disregarding the fear of a meaningless reality. In the Bachelor’s commander’s ignorance is his bliss. Melville highlights this theme by naming the ship the “bachelor”, reflecting the traditional stereotype associated with bachelors of being carefree, happy, and living a life full of excitement. Through ignoring these deeper elements of life and reality, the crew among The Bachelor enjoys their fortunes and, therefore, has no deliberate reason to contemplate bad-fortune or nature. This Gam offers a structural break from the Pequod’s crews in the novel. With the preceding and proceeding chapters focusing on the Pequod’s crew, this offers a relief and an ulterior perspective on life. The Bachelor leaves the Pequod “cheerily”, whereas the Pequod is commanded by Ahab to sail into its downfall in the pursuit of the mortally inscrutable (375).
In the Gam between The Rachel and the Pequod, The Rachel’s captain pleads for the Pequod’s help in finding his missing son, who has been lost in the previous day’s chase of Moby Dick. The theme of death and the lethality of the white whale is emphasized in this Gam, especially noted when the old Manx sailor points out that “[the son] drowned with the rest of them” (398). This tragedy results in the crew being exposed to the forces of nature that may, in any circumstances, preside over mortal control. Monomaniac Ahab, consumed with his quest and pursuit of challenging nature, refuses help and says “forgive myself, but I must go” (398). Humanity is challenged in this Gam, as it seems that Ahab has lost his humanities and replaced them with a static objective: the white whale.
The last Gam that Melville observes represents a final warning to Ahab, in which the ill-named Delight faces the consequences of seeking out the truth of mortality. The Delight battled the white whale the day before the Pequod encounters them, suffering from the tragedy of five men, “who were alive only yesterday; but were dead ere night” (404). Ahab refuses to heed the warnings of the results of the encounter with Moby Dick: the wrecked boat and the mourning crew. Melville includes this emotional Gam as a form of leading up to the climax of the novel. As a last warning, and perhaps one that should touch Ahab’s heart but fails to do so, Melville highlights Ahab’s insanity and sets the stage for his tenacious pursuit of Moby Dick in the final scenes of the novel. The Captain of the Delight shouts to the Pequod “In vain, oh, ye strangers, ye fly our sad burial, ye but turn us your taffrail to show us your coffin!”, trying to convey that their mortality cannot destruct the forces of nature (404). The Delight Gam promotes the theme of mortality and the inability to conquer the divine, providing a prime example of the consequences associated with challenging the forces of nature.