ipl-logo

Essay On The Color Of White In Moby Dick

900 Words4 Pages

Moby Dick
In the novel,“Moby Dick”, Herman Melville uses the symbolism of the color of white to demonstrate the significance of the Sperm Whale of which Ahab is heavily invested in. However, Captain Ahab remains so filled of hatred towards the Sperm whale, that he believed that the whale constitutes all of the worlds evil and had to strictly killed. Meanwhile Ishmael observes that the color white can have many various and opposing things, of which one can define it in certain ways. It would be very unwise to remain upon any a single meaning. In the chapter, The Whiteness of the Whale, Melville explains the importance of defining how a specific scenario could mean many different things, as opposed to Ahab wanting to see only one meaning …show more content…

On the fateful day of which the white sperm whale ate Ahab’s leg, he became so narrow-minded that the Great White Whale has only one motive in life, to make his life miserable. From then on Ahab decided that there was something unusual about this whale, as if it had hidden inside him all the evil in the world. Since Moby Dick attacked Ahab, his life would ultimately change, he would lose his personality to his whale. His outlook in seeing the color white having only one meaning, eventually caused his downfall and death by Moby Dick himself. In the article, “The color white in Moby Dick”, the author Kerry Gray proceeds to describes how the color white reflects upon the entirety of the animal kingdom and how it reflects back to this Novel. In it he states that anything white in the animal kingdom is virtually superior or more dangerous, but at the same time it could register some form of beauty. In the case of Ahab, the term white means something dangerous, and the his enemy the white sperm whale only seeks to provide adversary to his life. Ahab 's outlook on that the color white having only one meaning would eventually cause his ultimate

Show More
Related

  • Diction In The Fish

    373 Words  | 2 Pages

    The use of imagery in this poem gives a lot of insight to the life of the fish. For example, “Here and there his brown skin hung in strips like ancient wallpaper, and its pattern of darker brown was like wallpaper,” giving the fish a more wise and experienced type of personality. The

    Read More

  • Kakuktak And Sarkak In John Steinbeck's The White Dawn

    1197 Words  | 5 Pages

    The White Dawn follows the lives of three whalers, who are stranded and then saved by the native Inuit. The sailors Pilee, Portagee, and Kakuktak, each have their own way of fitting in and connecting with the people. They have to deal with people whom they cannot talk to, and who share different customs. It can be argued that Kakuktak is the most successful in his quest to integrate himself within the tribe.

    Read More

  • Allusions In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    To some this in an unneeded, extraneous line in the story that adds no real substance. To others, this provides insight into the characters of Nurse Ratched and Mr. McMurphy. The white whale refers to Moby Dick by Herman Melville. In Moby Dick, the whale wreaks havoc and is relentlessly pursued by Captain Ahab. In the end it can be argued that Moby, the whale, and the Captain are both defeated, paralleling the story with Nurse Ratched and Mr. McMurphy.

    Read More

  • Lord Of The Flies Mask Analysis

    709 Words  | 3 Pages

    Masks usually symbolize secrecy or pretenses. However, in Lord of the Flies, it both reveals and conceals the nature of the characters, particularly Jack. The mask provides a favorable edge to Jack’s role as a hunter but at the same time, his hold on civilization is weakening. The mask conceals Jack’s past identity as ‘Jack the Choir Boy’ and assumes the identity of ‘Jack the Hunter’.

    Read More

  • Whale Talk Book Analysis

    998 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the book Whale Talk, Chris Crutcher uses many different examples of imagery and

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Superficiality In Dorian Wilde, By Oscar Wilde

    1108 Words  | 5 Pages

    The colour white is continually used in the novel. Dorian’s path from a visible representation of innocence to a visible representation of depravity can be shown through Wilde’s use of the colour white. The colour white commonly represents innocence and purity. This shows in the beginning of the novel when Dorian is first

    Read More

  • Tilikum: Meet The Animals

    365 Words  | 2 Pages

    How can anyone look at the whale crying and think that is morality because it is not. Whale ate one of the trainers. Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of 3 individuals, including a top killer whale trainer, Dawn Brancheau. Blackfish shows the devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity. They knew Tilikum was dangerous because in his profile information it states, “Sometimes lunging toward control trainer” 70 plus killer whale trainer accidents but no one talks about them.

    Read More

  • William Golding Lord Of The Flies Mask Analysis

    601 Words  | 3 Pages

    Golding's use of symbolism in Lord of the Flies conveys many different meanings to ordinary objects. For example a conch shell represents power and the beast represents the devil. William Golding's Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys that are stranded on an island. The book shows the boy’s changes morally and physically. During the book most of the boys change to savages to gain power.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Homoeroticism In Moby Dick

    1643 Words  | 7 Pages

    One morning, Ishmael wakes up to find “Queequeg’s arm thrown over [him] in the most loving and affectionate manner. [One] had almost thought [he] had been his wife” (Melville 62). In this instance, and in many others throughout the novel, their relationship can be interpreted as deeper than the love between friends, as Ishmael’s thoughts almost seem to reveal his feelings toward Queequeg. Although many disagree that this theme is prevalent, it could be a reason why the Texas school district challenged the novel. Despite the fact that this was the only case in which the novel was challenged, many schools often identify Moby-Dick as being far too complex for students to fully appreciate Melville’s tone, themes, and writing style.

    Read More

  • Andrew Jackson And Ahab Analysis

    874 Words  | 4 Pages

    Melville displays allusions to Andrew Jackson in various instances throughout Moby Dick and certainly for good measure. The significance itself, though lies in the fact that Andrew Jackson and Ahab, the infamous ship captain, are both merciless towards the minorities. With an imagination, arguments can be proposed that Andrew Jackson and Ahab are the same person. In order to back up the argument one must understand Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the two’s personalities, Ahab’s role in the novel, and the hickory pole. Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, possesses the reputation of being a ruthless, barbarous, and ignorant man.

    Read More

  • Jaws Character Analysis

    1582 Words  | 7 Pages

    The shark represents man vs nature throughout the whole story up until the end. From the very beginning of both the film and novel, it starts off looking through the shark’s perspective. The novel’s intro gives some exposition about sharks, including one important definition about anoxia: “Once, if ever, it stopped, it would sink to the bottom of the ocean and die of anoxia” (Benchley 3). This definition not only acts as exposition, but also foreshadows how the shark eventually dies in the end of the novel. After the expository phase of both the movie and novel, the shark attacks its first victim--a drunk woman named Crissy.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In The Great Gatsby

    832 Words  | 4 Pages

    How might you describe the flower situation at Nick’s house?Nick’s garden is untamed and grows wildly, until Gatsby sends over his gardeners. How does Gatsby look?Gatsby looks nervous and uneasy, something he never seems to look. How does Gatsby act while waiting for tea? Cite two examples. Gatsby is very uneasy and edgy, such as when he tries leaving before Daisy arrives and how he keeps looking out the window.

    Read More

  • The Meaning Of The Color White In Moby Dick

    2061 Words  | 9 Pages

    According to Ishmael, the color is elusive and “strikes more of panic to the soul than that redness which affrights in blood.” (Melville 190) “Elusive” is used, because it describes white as part of the truth and something that is used to conceal the truth which makes the truth hard to grasp or pursue. Ishmael says the fear of white is greater than the fear of mortality. The given reason for it is that when the honorable symbolism attached to the color is removed, white is found is horrid things such as the polar bear and the white shark. The symbolism of goodness associated with white is nothing more than a cloak for something more underneath, the truth—if you will.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism Of The Whale In Moby Dick

    1731 Words  | 7 Pages

    For the characters in Moby Dick, they have trouble objectively understanding the white whale. Ahab believes Moby Dick represents evil, while Ishmael fails to determine scientifically the whale’s fundamental nature. Ahab sees the whale as a manifestation of that is wrong in the world and accepts that he must destroy this symbolic evil. Ishmael does not understand the meaning behind Ahab’s quest and his purpose to kill the whale as he sees whales as peaceful creatures. Ishmael states, “And thus, though surrounded by circle upon circle of consternations and affrights, did these inscrutable creatures at the centre freely and fearlessly indulge in all peaceful concernments; yea, serenely revelled in dalliance and delight” (Melville 433).

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Moby Dick And The Scarlet Letter

    497 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the whaling ship, the Pequod, sets sail. The Crew doesn’t see Captain Ahab for a few days of being aboard the ship. When they finally see him he makes the three harpooners and his three mates take a blood oath to killing Moby Dick. After a few months of being on the journey they see the white whale and go after him. After hours of hunting him it becomes dark and Ahab is still going after him while all the crew is trying to get him to give up.

    Read More

More about Essay On The Color Of White In Moby Dick

Open Document