Introduction This paper compares a poem by Whitman (1) titled, “A Noiseless Patient Spider” with an exclusive narration by Melville in his work titled, “Moby-Dick.” For comparison purposes, this paper analyzes their use of metaphors, artistic styles, and their representations of humanity. This analysis is in three sections that outline this essay. They appear below A Small Metaphor to Symbolize a Big Issue Both Whitman (1) and Melville (1) present a comprehensive view of the universe by using small symbolic elements of analysis. Whitman (1) uses the spider as a metaphor of humanity, drowned in a sea of uncertainty (the universe), while Melville (1) uses Pip’s ocean experience to represent peoples’ struggles in the world. As a tiny, detached and measureless creature, the spider explores its surrounding and tirelessly speeds through it. A deeper analysis of Whitman’s (1) spider metaphor also shows how human beings struggle to make sense of their surroundings by trying out different things. Still metaphorically, Whitman (1) shows that the trickiest part of the spider’s life is laying down eggs in a sea of confusion, characterized by endless attempts to make a web. This narration is symbolic of people’s attempts to connect their souls to one another. Melville (4) also uses a similar metaphor to explain his view of the world through Pip’s castaway experience. When Pip jumps out of the boat into the ocean, he becomes a small spectacle in a vast ocean. In fact, the author says, “The Sea had leeringly kept his finite body up, but drowned the infinite of his soul. Not drowned entirely, though. Rather carried down alive to wondrous depths” (3). Based on this statement, Melville’ uses Pip’s experience to explain the relationship between people and the universe. Pip is a tiny element in a vast universe. The vastness of his surroundings shows how distracted and detached we could be (as humans). The spider is the equal representation of the same feeling because although it is small, it represents the vastness of the human soul. Therefore, both Whitman (1) and Melville (3) use the same artistic style to depict the human experience in the universe. Use of Animals Using animals to depict human emotions, or to show human characteristics, is a common phenomenon in many artistic works. However, using animals, metaphorically, to represent the same issue is one unique artistic tool that Whitman (1) and Melville (2) have used successfully. Both authors used the spider and the whale metaphorically to represent the human emotions of patience and greed. Whitman’s (1) narration is direct because his title alone, “A noiseless patient spider,” shows the human characteristic (of patience) he strives to portray. While there is a consensus that nobody has ever been a whale or a spider, to know what characteristics they possess, both authors use their animal qualities (directly and indirectly) to explain different human qualities. For example, Whitman (1) uses the spider as a personification of patience and stealth. Similarly, he describes the spider as “noiseless” because he wants us to look at his story from an “outward-in” perspective, as opposed to an “inward-out” perspective. In other words, he wants us to know that there is a greater creature looking at the spider, as opposed to the spider looki