Moby Dick Characters | GradeSaver Buy Study Guide Captain Ahab Ahab is the Captain of the Pequod, a grave older man reaching his sixties who has spent nearly forty years as a sailor, only three of which he has spent on dry land (Melville alludes to Ahab as having a wife and son, but their existence seems of little significance to Ahab). The novel is essentially the story of Ahab and his quest to defeat the legendary Sperm Whale Moby Dick, for this whale took Ahab's leg, causing him to use an ivory leg to walk and stand. Ahab is a dour, imposing man who frightens his crew through his unwavering obsession with defeating Moby Dick and his grand hubris. In many respects Melville portrays Ahab as barely human, barely governed by human mores and conventions and nearly entirely subject to his own obsession with Moby Dick. Melville describes him in mostly alien terms: Ahab is a spectral figure haunting Stubb's dreams and existing in a place away from the living. He is in some ways a machine, unaffected by human appetites and without recognizable emotion.

And most importantly, he claims himself a God over the Pequod, but instead he may be a Satanic figure through his somewhat blasphemous quest against the white whale. Ishmael Ishmael is the narrator of the novel, a simple sailor on the Pequod who undertakes the journey because of his affection for the ocean and his need to go sea whenever he feels "hazy about the eyes." As the narrator Ishmael establishes him as somewhat of a cipher and an everyman, and in fact his role in the plot of the novel is inconsequential; his primary task is to observe the conflicts around him. Nevertheless, Melville does give his narrator several significant character traits, the most important of which is his idealization of the Sperm Whale and his belief in its majesty. Also, it is Ishmael who has the only significant personal relationship in the novel; he becomes a close friend with the pagan harpooner Queequeg and comes to cherish and adore Queequeg to a somewhat improbable level open to great interpretation; Melville even describes their relationship in terms of a marriage.

Ishmael is the only survivor of the Pequod's voyage, living to tell the tale of Moby Dick only because he is by chance on a whaling boat when Moby Dick sinks the Pequod and is rescued by a nearby ship. Starbuck Starbuck is the chief mate of the Pequod, a Nantucket native and a Quaker with a thin build and a pragmatic manner. In appearance, Starbuck is quite thin and seems condensed into his most essential characteristics, and his streamlined appearance well suits his attitudes and behavior. Melville portrays Starbuck as both a strong believer in human fallibility and an idealist who believes that these failings may be contained. Among the characters in Moby Dick, it is only Starbuck who openly opposes Captain Ahab, believing his quest against the great whale to be an impulsive and suicidal folly. However, despite his open misgivings about Ahab and the open hostility between these two characters that culminates when Ahab points his musket at Starbuck, the conflicted Starbuck remains loyal to his captain even when he has the possibility of vanquishing Ahab.

If Ahab serves as the protagonist of the novel and Ahab the narrator, Ishmael is the character whom Melville intends as the proxy for the reader: the only character given a gamut of emotions ranging from pity and fear to contempt, Starbuck is Melville's surrogate for an emotional response from his audience. Queequeg Queequeg is a harpooner from New Zealand, the son of a king who renounces the throne in order to travel the world on whaling ships and learn about Christian society. Ishmael meets Queequeg when the two must share a bed at the Spouter Inn in New Bedford before journeying to Nantucket to undertake the journey on the Pequod. Melville portrays Queequeg as a blend of civilized behavior and savagery. Certainly in his appearance and upbringing he is uncivilized by the standards of the main characters of the novel, yet Melville (through his narrator Ishmael) finds Queequeg to be incredibly noble, courteous and brave.

Melville uses Queequeg as a character in perpetual transition: from savagery to civilization, and in the final chapters after he suffers from an illness from which he wills himself recovered, in an uneasy stasis between life and death. The relationship between Queequeg and Ishmael is the most intimate of the novel, as the two become close companions. Stubb The second mate on the Pequod, Stubb is a Cape Cod native with a happy-go-lucky, carefree nature that tends to mask his true opinions and beliefs. Stubb remains comical even in the face of the imperious Ahab, and he even dares to make a joke at the captain's expense. Although never serious, Stubb is nevertheless a more than competent whaleman: his easygoing manner allows Stubb to prompt his crew to work without seeming imposing or dictatorial, and it is Stubb who kills the first whale on the Pequod's voyage. Nevertheless, Melville does not portray Stubb as an idealized character; although competent and carefree, Stubb is also the character who suggests that the Pequod robs the Rosebud of its whales to secure their ambergris.

Flask The third mate on the ship, Flask plays a much less prominent role than either Starbuck or Stubb. He is a native of Martha's Vineyard with a pugnacious attitude concerning whales. Melville portrays Stubb as a man whose appetites cannot be sated, and in fact in attempting to sate these appetites Flask becomes even more hungry. Pippin He is a young black man and a member of the Pequod crew who replaces one of Stubb's oarsman but becomes incredibly frightened while lowering after a whale and jumps from the boat. Although Stubb saves him the first time, he warns him that he will not do so if he tries it again, and when he does Pip only survives when another boat saves him. After realizing that the others would allow his death, Pip becomes nearly insane. However, Ahab takes pity on him for his madness and allows him use of his cabin. Fedallah He is one of the "dusky phantoms" that compose Ahab's special whaling crew.

The Asiatic and Oriental Fedallah, also called the Parsee, remains a "muffled mystery" to the other characters and represents a sinister figure for the crew of the Pequod; there are even rumors that he is the devil in disguise and wishes to kidnap Ahab. Fedallah has a prophetic dream of hearses twice during the course of the novel, yet both he and Ahab conceive that this means a certain end to Moby Dick. Fedallah dies during the second day of the chase against Moby Dick, when he becomes entangled in the whale line. Peter Coffin Starbucks almost named after Moby-Dick doomed ship Peqoud | Daily Mail Online comments It's the largest coffee house in the world, but Starbucks may have had a very different story had one of its founders had his way. Writer Gordon Bowke, who co-founded the company in 1971, originally wanted to name the company Peqoud, after the doomed whaleship in Moby-Dick. Luckily, his business partners settled on the name of the ship's first mate instead.

Global: Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 50 countries, including over 11,000 in the U.S. According to Howard Schultz's book Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, Mr Bowker suggested the name Pequod to his then-creative partner, Terry Heckler, who responded: 'No one's going to drink a cup of Pee-quod!' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share After a brainstorming session, Mr Bowker's co-founders, teachers Jerry Baldwin and Zev Siegl, decided Captain Ahab's first mate Starbuck would be the name of the then-unknown brand. A classic: Moby-Dick, by American author Herman Melville, was first published in 1851 It was not the only inspiration the entrepreneurs found in the unusual name. It also inspired Starbucks' famed green and white logo, which features a Siren from Greek Mythology. As the story goes, Sirens lured sailors to shipwreck off the coast of an island in the South Pacific, also called Starbuck Island.

The company, however, could have gone by many different names with founders so captivated by the Herman Melville classic. Stubb, Flask, Queequeg, Tashtego, Daggoo, Pip and Fedallah are among the other characters in the story about Captain Ahab's search for a monstrous sperm whale wandering the seas after it destroyed his boat and bit off his leg. Starbucks, it seems, proved a wise choice. The company later changed hands and Mr Schultz became the company's sole owner when he bought out the three founders in 1987. Starbucks went on to become the largest coffee house company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 50 countries, including more than 11,000 in the U.S. THE MAIN CHARACTERS IN MOBY-DICK: Moby-Dick, first published in 1851 by American author Herman Melville, is peppered with unusual names that could have replaced Starbuck.

Its main characters include: Ishmael - The narrator, and a junior member of the crew of the Pequod Captain Ahab - Lost his leg to Moby Dick and is in a search for the monstrous sperm whale Starbuck - The first mate of the Pequod. A Quaker who believes that Christianity offers a way to interpret the world around him Stubb - The second mate of the Pequod, characterised by his good humour Flask - The third mate of the Pequod with a confrontational attitude that earned him the nickname King-Post Queequeg - Starbuck’s skilled harpooner and Ishmael’s best friend, a former prince drom South Sea island Tashtego - Stubb’s harpooner and a Gay Head Indian Daggoo - Flask’s harpooner Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick (Click the character infographic to download.) Meet The Dude Whose Name Is Synonymous With Revenge Captain Ahab: one of the best whaling captains in Nantucket, the commander of the Pequod, and definitely a bit odd. He's got an Oldboy -style vendetta against a dang whale, after all.

Late in the novel, Ahab begins to reminisce about how stark and lonely his life has been: he’s spent forty years working his way up on whaling ships, and only after he’s reached the far side of fifty does he marry. When he does get married (to a lady much younger than he is) he only gets to sleep with her once before he has to get right back out there into the ocean, leaving her a "whaling widow" with a child he’s never seen. As if this weren’t sad enough, on his previous voyage the infamous Moby Dick managed to chomp Ahab’s leg off... leaving him with a peg leg made of whalebone ivory and an overwhelming desire for revenge. Obsession: It’s Not Just A Calvin Klein Fragrance Anymore Recuperating on board his previous ship and sick with fever after he’s lost his leg, Ahab gradually goes crazier and crazier, eventually blaming Moby Dick for everything bad that has ever happened to any human being ever since the beginning of time. (Really—we’re not making that up.

That’s just how Melville describes him.) After several months, he’s able to get most of his insanity under some kind of control, but it’s still festering right under the surface. Ahab behaves (sort of) like a sane man, but his motives are entirely insane. He resolves to use everything in his power to revenge himself on the White Whale, and agrees to be the captain of the Pequod in order to get an opportunity to pursue his vendetta. Once the Pequod is too far away from Nantucket’s harbor to turn back easily, Ahab reveals his diabolical purpose to the crew, forcing them to swear that they’ll aid him in his ungodly revenge quest. And he’s got another surprise up his sleeve: before departing, Ahab smuggles his own harpooneer, Fedallah, and his own boat crew on board the Pequod... just in case the regular crew don’t want to risk their lives by being in a whaling boat captained by a lunatic.

Melville likes to describe Ahab as a "monomaniac," an interesting word because it suggests two things: first, that Ahab’s insanity focuses itself obsessively on a single thing (Moby Dick), and second, that he’s only insane when it comes to that one —he can be rational about just about everyone else. Oh, The Tragedy! In the democratic framework of a novel that likes to remind us just how egalitarian it is, Ahab, this rough, old Nantucket seaman, can be just as much of a tragic hero as Oedipus or King Lear. Like King Lear, Ahab’s madness drives him out into the storm (at least, metaphorically), where he is aided only by his "fool," his jester, who is both crazier and saner than he is. These "fools" manage to give their respective tragic heroes excellent advice embroidered with snatches of songs and strange puns. Ahab’s "fool" is Pip, the young African-American man who goes mad when he leaps out of Stubb’s whaling ship in fear and is left to float alone in the open sea for half an hour.

Pip and Ahab become a strangely appropriate pairing: the monomaniac who’s losing his soul to his vengeance and the crazy boy who’s lost his sense of self because of his cowardice. But it's not just ol' Lear that Ahab is emulating. He can be read as a mash-up of about a zillion different tragic heroes. He's part Oedipus (Ahab has a peg leg and Oedipus had a cane; both Ahab and Oedipus are worried about the amount of control they have over their own fate), part Narcissus and even part (gulp) Satan. Hey, There’s A Man In The Bible Named Ahab Like Ishmael, Ahab’s name has Biblical echoes that Melville exploits to add depth to his character. Ahab’s story is in 1 Kings 21 ; he’s the king who covets Naboth’s vineyard, which Naboth won’t give to him. In the end, Queen Jezebel sets Naboth up by falsely accusing him of a crime. Naboth ends up getting stoned to death unjustly, as a result of which Ahab gets that vineyard he’s been wanting.

But after all of this nefariousness, Elijah (check out Moby-Dick Chapter 19) prophesies that King Ahab’s blood will wind up in the same place as Naboth’s blood. Freaky, eh? So what’s all this supposed to mean for our analysis of Ahab’s character in Moby-Dick? Well, like the Biblical Ahab, we expect him to desire something that he isn’t entitled to and that isn’t good for him to have, to end up getting it by foul means, and then to get his comeuppance in the form of an ironic reversal of his own evil deed. Considering the way Ahab dies (Moby Dick drags him to his death) we think the name fits pretty nicely—talk about building your own gallows! Wait A Minute, You’re Telling Me The Awesome Yet Obsessive Captain Doesn’t Win? Yes, that's what we're telling you. SparkNotes: Moby-Dick: Plot Overview Plot Overview Context Character List Ishmael, the narrator, announces his intent to ship aboard a whaling vessel. He has made several voyages as a sailor but none as a whaler.

He travels to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where he stays in a whalers’ inn. Since the inn is rather full, he has to share a bed with a harpooner from the South Pacific named Queequeg. At first repulsed by Queequeg’s strange habits and shocking appearance (Queequeg is covered with tattoos), Ishmael eventually comes to appreciate the man’s generosity and kind spirit, and the two decide to seek work on a whaling vessel together. They take a ferry to Nantucket, the traditional capital of the whaling industry. There they secure berths on the Pequod, a savage-looking ship adorned with the bones and teeth of sperm whales. Peleg and Bildad, the Pequod’s Quaker owners, drive a hard bargain in terms of salary. They also mention the ship’s mysterious captain, Ahab, who is still recovering from losing his leg in an encounter with a sperm whale on his last voyage. The Pequod leaves Nantucket on a cold Christmas Day with a crew made up of men from many different countries and races.

Soon the ship is in warmer waters, and Ahab makes his first appearance on deck, balancing gingerly on his false leg, which is made from a sperm whale’s jaw. He announces his desire to pursue and kill Moby Dick, the legendary great white whale who took his leg, because he sees this whale as the embodiment of evil. Ahab nails a gold doubloon to the mast and declares that it will be the prize for the first man to sight the whale. As the Pequod sails toward the southern tip of Africa, whales are sighted and unsuccessfully hunted. During the hunt, a group of men, none of whom anyone on the ship’s crew has seen before on the voyage, emerges from the hold. The men’s leader is an exotic-looking man named Fedallah. These men constitute Ahab’s private harpoon crew, smuggled aboard in defiance of Bildad and Peleg. Ahab hopes that their skills and Fedallah’s prophetic abilities will help him in his hunt for Moby Dick. The Pequod rounds Africa and enters the Indian Ocean. A few whales are successfully caught and processed for their oil. From time to time, the ship encounters other whaling vessels.

Ahab always demands information about Moby Dick from their captains. One of the ships, the Jeroboam, carries Gabriel, a crazed prophet who predicts doom for anyone who threatens Moby Dick. His predictions seem to carry some weight, as those aboard his ship who have hunted the whale have met disaster. While trying to drain the oil from the head of a captured sperm whale, Tashtego, one of the Pequod’s harpooners, falls into the whale’s voluminous head, which then rips free of the ship and begins to sink. Queequeg saves Tashtego by diving into the ocean and cutting into the slowly sinking head. During another whale hunt, Pip, the Pequod’s black cabin boy, jumps from a whaleboat and is left behind in the middle of the ocean. He goes insane as the result of the experience and becomes a crazy but prophetic jester for the ship. Soon after, the Pequod meets the Samuel Enderby, a whaling ship whose skipper, Captain Boomer, has lost an arm in an encounter with Moby Dick. The two captains discuss the whale; Boomer, happy simply to have survived his encounter, cannot understand Ahab’s lust for vengeance.

Not long after, Queequeg falls ill and has the ship’s carpenter make him a coffin in anticipation of his death. He recovers, however, and the coffin eventually becomes the Pequod’s replacement life buoy. Ahab orders a harpoon forged in the expectation that he will soon encounter Moby Dick. He baptizes the harpoon with the blood of the Pequod’s three harpooners. The Pequod kills several more whales. Issuing a prophecy about Ahab’s death, Fedallah declares that Ahab will first see two hearses, the second of which will be made only from American wood, and that he will be killed by hemp rope. Ahab interprets these words to mean that he will not die at sea, where there are no hearses and no hangings. A typhoon hits the Pequod, illuminating it with electrical fire. Ahab takes this occurrence as a sign of imminent confrontation and success, but Starbuck, the ship’s first mate, takes it as a bad omen and considers killing Ahab to end the mad quest.

After the storm ends, one of the sailors falls from the ship’s masthead and drowns—a grim foreshadowing of what lies ahead. Ahab’s fervent desire to find and destroy Moby Dick continues to intensify, and the mad Pip is now his constant companion. The Pequod approaches the equator, where Ahab expects to find the great whale. The ship encounters two more whaling ships, the Rachel and the Delight, both of which have recently had fatal encounters with the whale. Ahab finally sights Moby Dick. The harpoon boats are launched, and Moby Dick attacks Ahab’s harpoon boat, destroying it. The next day, Moby Dick is sighted again, and the boats are lowered once more. The whale is harpooned, but Moby Dick again attacks Ahab’s boat. Fedallah, trapped in the harpoon line, is dragged overboard to his death. Starbuck must maneuver the Pequod between Ahab and the angry whale. On the third day, the boats are once again sent after Moby Dick, who once again attacks them. The men can see Fedallah’s corpse lashed to the whale by the harpoon line.

Moby Dick rams the Pequod and sinks it. Ahab is then caught in a harpoon line and hurled out of his harpoon boat to his death. All of the remaining whaleboats and men are caught in the vortex created by the sinking Pequod and pulled under to their deaths. Ishmael, who was thrown from a boat at the beginning of the chase, was far enough away to escape the whirlpool, and he alone survives. He floats atop Queequeg’s coffin, which popped back up from the wreck, until he is picked up by the Rachel, which is still searching for the crewmen lost in her earlier encounter with Moby Dick. More Help Major Symbols in Moby-Dick Major Symbols in Moby-Dick Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List Introduction Symbols in literature are usually objects used to represent or suggest important concepts that inform and expand our appreciation of the work. Moby-Dick offers some of the most widely known symbols in American literature. Being widely known, however, does not imply that the symbols are simple or easy to understand. Like the themes in the novel, the symbols are ambiguous in enriching ways.

Father Mapple's Pulpit Father Mapple's pulpit in the Whaleman's Chapel effectively represents this former harpooner's approach to his ministry. Everything about the chapel reminds a visitor of life and death at sea. Father Mapple is the captain of the ship, the congregation his crew. The pulpit itself is shaped like the prow of a ship and features a painting of a vessel battling a storm near a rocky coast, an angel of hope watching over it. Without much effort, we can see that the pulpit represents the leadership of the pastor and implies that God himself is the pilot of this ship. Mapple's "shipmates," as he refers to the congregation, often find themselves battling storms on rocky coasts — either literally, in ships, or figuratively in the rest of their lives. They need the hope and consolation of God's grace, as represented by the angel. Mapple ascends to the pulpit by climbing a rope ladder like one used to mount a ship from a boat at sea. He then pulls the rope up after him, effectively cutting off contact with worldly matters.

In similar ways, the captain of a whaling ship assumes the pilot's role as he cuts off contact with land; the ship becomes a floating microcosm at sea. Melville makes effective use of contrast throughout the novel; here, it is between Mapple and Ahab. Mapple is an elderly but vigorous man of God who sees his role as leading his ship through rocky waters by gladly submitting to the will of a higher authority. Ahab is an ungodly man who doesn't mind wielding authority but resents submitting to it. He wears his defiance proudly. In this sense, the pulpit represents the proper position for a ship's captain, performing his duty in leading his congregation toward an understanding of performing God's will. Queequeg's Coffin The symbolism of Queequeg's coffin changes as the novel progresses. Initially, the coffin represents Queequeg's apparently impending death and his nostalgic link to his home island. The coffin is shaped like a canoe because of the custom on Kokovoko of setting the corpse adrift in such a craft. The belief was that eventually it would float over the ocean to the sky, which connects to the sea, and ultimately to one of the islands (stars) in the sky.

Queequeg saw similar canoe coffins in Nantucket, and the custom of setting the corpse adrift is widespread among sea-faring people around the world. The coffin represents ongoing life when it becomes Queequeg's sea chest after he decides not to die. It represents hope for renewal and a practical means of saving life when it is rigged to serve as a life buoy. Finally, the coffin is a symbol of hope and even rebirth when it springs from the vortex of the sunken Pequod to provide Ishmael with a means of staying afloat until the Rachel rescues him. The White Whale The White Whale is one of the best known symbols in American literature. What it represents depends entirely on who is noticing. To Starbuck, Moby Dick is just another whale, except that he is more dangerous. Early in the novel, Starbuck challenges Ahab's motives for altering the ship's mission, from accumulating oil to killing the White Whale. On the quarter-deck in Chapter 36, Starbuck calls it "blasphemous" to seek revenge on a "dumb brute . . .

that simply smote thee from blindest instinct!" If Starbuck sees anything beyond that in the whale, it is that Moby Dick represents the captain's madness and a very serious diversion from the ship's proper mission. The Samuel Enderby's captain, who has lost an arm to the White Whale, sees it as representing a great prize in both glory and sperm oil but seems very reasonable in his desire to leave the whale alone. He says to Ahab, "There would be great glory in killing him, I know that; and there is a ship-load of precious sperm in him, but, hark ye, he's best let alone; don't you think so, Captain?" (Chapter 100) Ahab points out that the "accursed thing is not always what least allures." To some, the White Whale is a myth. To others, he is immortal. But one significant question is, What is the White Whale to Ahab? Ishmael grants that Ahab views the whale as an embodiment of evil. Ishmael himself is not so sure.

The narrator often sees both sides of a question, never more so than in Chapter 42, "The Whiteness of the Whale." There he tells us that Moby Dick's whiteness might represent good or evil, glory or damnation, all colors or the "visible absence of color." For Ahab's interpretation, it is helpful to consider the captain's comments in the pivotal Chapter 36. There, the captain says he sees Moby Dick as a "mask," behind which lies a great power whose dominance Ahab refuses to accept. Ahab sees that inscrutable power as evil. Some scholars argue that it is not the whale, or the force behind the whale, that is evil; the evil is in Ahab. Others see the captain as simply insane. Ahab is out of control as he rants about attacking the force behind the façade of Moby Dick. He wants to kill the whale in order to reach that force. Ahab seems to want to be a god. As great and charismatic a man as he can be in his finest moments, the captain is destructively egocentric and mad for power. To Ahab, we might conclude, the White Whale represents that power which limits and controls man.

Ahab sees it as evil incarnate. But perhaps it is just a big, smart fish. Ahab's Devolution in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" - Inquiries Journal Ahab's Devolution in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" Keywords: Herman Melville Moby Dick 19th Century Literature Gam Ahab, the monomaniacal ship captain of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, is a man plagued by revenge. Searching the seas for the whale who took his leg and along with it, his ability to effectively assimilate into society, Ahab continually shows himself to be a man concerned with a single unvarying mission. While determinedly seeking out the white whale, Ahab continues to drift farther from mankind as he gets closer to reaching Moby Dick. Because of this single-minded searching, Ahab ultimately becomes similar to an animal, consumed with a compulsion to hunt that is coupled with a loss of reason. By focusing on the nine gams--social meetings of ship captains while at sea--Ahab’s transformation, which manifests itself in his inability to successfully relate to others, can be traced through the narrative.

This transformation culminates in Ahab’s complete loss of his humanity and ultimately results in his final fall--his death at sea. The nine gams within Moby Dick represent microcosms of the world that exists beyond the sea. They work to further the narrative, while each also acts as an individual reference point at which Ahab’s transformation and loss of humanity can be pinpointed. Melville devotes an entire chapter within the narrative to defining gams, narrowing his definition to, “a social meeting of two (or more) Whale-ships, generally on a cruising-ground; when, after exchanging hails, they exchange visits by boats’ crews” (221). Melville’s assertion that these meetings are of a “social” nature indicates the casual nature inherent to a gam. Through this definition, Melville also establishes that gams occur to those on “Whale-ships” rather than on all ships, indicating the uniqueness and more genial nature that may be inherent to whaling vessels. Establishing the behaviors that typify the ordinary is necessary because, “individuality itself may require some relation [to the other] in order to exert and maintain its essential independence” (James Dean Young 449).

In other words, we must know the behaviors that are typical of gams because it establishes the behaviors that are atypical. The sociality of these meetings, in which captains and their men would typically “have all sorts of dear domestic things to talk about,” (Melville 219) serves as a contrast to the behavior of Captain Ahab, furthering the position that he is decidedly unusual and unsociable. Critic Henry Alonzo Myers states that Ahab’s “madness is beyond common experience only in its intensity” (Myers 33). This suggests that Ahab’s obsession is unique only in its intensity, however this would be overlooking everything that occurs because of the intensity of the obsession, one of the most obvious being a loss of empathy and humanity. An examination of the gams or “relations to the world” (Young 449) is important because it shows that while Ahab’s resolution to find and kill Moby Dick is “intense” (Myers 33), it renders him completely unable to relate to mankind. He no longer cares abut the “dear domestic things” that would ordinarily unite people.

These ties or “bonds” (John Idol 156) unite, creating a framework for the additional connections that occur between Ahab and the other ships’ captains. Looking at these bonds with a specific focus on those of social and economic significance (Idol 156), we see that by breaking them, Ahab is cutting his ties to mankind and distancing himself from his humanity. Additionally, the most valuable and unquestionably difficult methods of relation between Ahab and his men, and Ahab and the other ships, is communication (Young 450) or its lack thereof. The first grouping of gams, which occurs with the Albatross, the Town-Ho, and the Jeroboam, are united within this theme of communication, while also acting to further Ahab’s devolution. This becomes clear when the text is analyzed in regard to its language and contents. When describing the Albatross, Melville’s language creates an air of mystery and establishes it as a foreign entity, while simultaneously casting Moby Dick in an ominous light.

The Albatross’ rigging is described as “thick branches of trees furred over with hoar-frost,” while the whole of the vessel is referred to as being “a wild sight” (217). Additionally, Melville refers to the ship’s captain as a “strange captain,” (217) emphasizing the oddness of the man, rather than the unfamiliarity that would be expressed with terms denoting him a “stranger” or “unknown” captain. By emphasizing the peculiarity of the ship, Melville intensifies the following sequence of events in which the Pequod is unable to successfully communicate with the Albatross. This is most clearly seen when the Albatross‘ captain drops his trumpet, his only tool for communication, “Putting his trumpet to his mouth, it somehow fell from his hand into the sea; and the wind now rising amain, he in vain strove to make himself heard without it” (217).

This act, having occurred “at the first mere mention of the White Whale’s name to another ship” (217) foreshadows the Pequod’s eventual encounter with Moby Dick, while also acting as an implied warning that literally cannot be heard by Ahab. Additionally, by dropping the trumpet, the Albatross’ captain breaks what critic John Idol refers to as a “mechanical bond” or “the quantitative relation of force and matter [that] requires the action of a manipulator” (156). This is one of the several types of bonds that occurs within Moby Dick and is clearly an ominous symbol. A “social” bond is also broken within this scene, if only indirectly, when the two captains are rendered unable to communicate. Communication is critical because “the aid of other [ships] is impossible when communication is [halted by] insurmountable difficulties” (Young 451). While “aid” is not needed in the traditional sense, in this instance, the Albatross may possess information that could aid the Pequod’s journey, however, it will never be heard. Ahab’s determinedness is also brought to light within this failed gam.

When communication with the Albatross is made impossible, Ahab “seemed as though he would have lowered a boat to board the stranger, had not the threatening wind forbade” (217). Ahab is so curious about the Albatross’ possible knowledge concerning Moby Dick, that he is willing to travel to the other ship in order to find out. This illustrates the beginning of Ahab’s obsession, although it is slight. At this beginning junction, Ahab even appears giddy in his optimism, shouting “This is the Pequod, bound round the world! Tell them to address all future letters to the Pacific ocean!” (217-18). It appears that he is excited and even mildly concerned with letters that may be addressed for him and his men, however, he is cut off by the ocean waves and his ability to communicate is once again stifled. Within this gam it appears that Ahab desires to have contact with his fellow man.

However, this idea is immediately contradicted within the following chapter, “The Gam” in which Melville’s narrator asserts that Ahab’s eagerness to reach out to the Albatross wouldn’t have occurred if he had “obtained a negative answer to the question he put,” (219) regarding their knowledge of Moby Dick. Additionally, he states that Ahab, “cared not to consort, even for five minutes, with any stranger captain” (219). Knowing this, it becomes clear that Ahab’s desire for contact is entirely self-serving and has little to do with establishing communication or social bonds with his fellow man and his monomania is concretely established. While his desperate need for information concerning the white whale is just beginning, Melville’s earlier employment of ominous foreshadowing is suggestive of the long downward spiral awaiting him. The second gam within Moby Dick occurs between the Pequod and Town-Ho. This gam works to further the foreboding nature of Moby Dick through the story that is told by the crew of the Town-Ho, rather than from information gathered by Ahab during the actual gam.

The “Town-Ho’s Story” tells of the ship’s violent encounter with the white whale, as learned by the crew of the Pequod from Tashtego. Situating their encounter within inter-ship disputes while whaling on the Town-Ho, the audience is given the first detailed example of the wrath Moby Dick is capable of inflicting. When recounting the death of the Town-Ho’s mate, Radney, Melville writes, “The whale rushed round in a sudden maelstrom; seized the swimmer between his jaws; and rearing high with him, plunged headlong again, and went down” (234). The whale’s destructive capability is made clear through a recount of the mauling, as opposed to only a reference of the damage he had done, as is the case with Ahab’s leg. Additionally, Moby Dick is described as “destroying” (234) the man, creating a sense of complete obliteration and finality to the attack. Similar to the gam with the Albatross, the “Town-Ho’s Story” works to foreshadow the Pequod’s impending encounter with Moby Dick.

The narrative involving Radney’s death works as “both a warning and a prophecy, neither of which Ahab ever receives” (Young 452) because Ahab is never told their story. By keeping silent, the crew of the Pequod place themselves in danger while illustrating the destructiveness that can be incurred when communication breaks down. Additionally, by recounting the story of the re-telling of this story, Ishmael places himself within the context of life after surviving the Pequod. While he does not directly address the Pequod’s eventual fate, his layering of the story--a yarn about a yarn--implies the importance of the Town-Ho’s experience in relation to the future events of the Pequod. While this gam does not outwardly address Ahab’s transformation and loss of humanity, the lack of communication is indicative of the distance between him and his men. When information is kept from him, even if he is unaware of it, it diminishes his position as the utmost authority of the ship. His job as captain, the highest position on the ship, is an integral part of his identity.

When he is removed from the place of power and his place as captain is eroded, his identity ultimately begins to break down. This breakdown continues as the gams between the Pequod and other whaling ships occur within the narrative. The Pequod’s third gam with the Jeroboam almost immediately illustrates Ahab’s growing inability to interact with other men. He is described as “demand[ing]” (285) to know whether the Jeroboam’s captain has seen Moby Dick. While this language denotes the continuing loss of his ability to relate reasonably to his fellow man, its forcefulness is also suggestive that his concern is growing. He is becoming desperate as the need to find and destroy the whale is consuming him. Additionally, this gam is concerned with the aspects of communication seen within the previous gams. Conversation between Ahab and the Jeroboam’s captain is repeatedly interrupted, “a headlong wave shot the boat far ahead, and its seethings drowned all speech” (285). These interruptions draw attention to and emphasize the dialog that is able to take place. Similar to the previous two gams, the discernible dialog works to warn of the ominous events awaiting any ship that crosses paths with Moby Dick.

The Jeroboam’s “archangel” or prophet, Gabriel, warns Ahab, “Think, think of thy whale-boat, stoven and sunk! Beware of the horrible tail!” (285). This warning addresses not only the Pequod’s crew, who are in danger, but also draws attention to the economic bonds, the whale boats belonging to the Pequod‘s owners, that will undoubtedly be broken upon contact with the whale. However, Ahab’s behavior in the previous gams has indicated that regardless of any warnings, his single-mindedness and determination will not allow him to be deterred. This solidifies the monomania that possesses Ahab and frames the remainder of events for all aboard the Pequod. The fourth and fifth gams shift Ahab’s position within the narrative. He recedes into the background of the interaction, which itself is indicative of his growing loss of humanity and ability to relate to mankind, while also suggesting a deepening obsession that prevents him from partaking in ordinary events. Ahab almost immediately removes himself from the events of the gam with the Jungfrau.

He is described as “abruptly accosting” her captain, and upon learning that he has “complete ignorance” (315) regarding the white whale, Ahab disappears. The polarity of these descriptions, the aggression contrasted with the implied naiveté, furthers the idea that Ahab’s irritability and lack of empathy is beyond that of an ordinary man. Without Ahab’s presence in the gam, the focus shifts to a chase between the Jungfrau and the Pequod’s whale boats. The whale being chased becomes the focus, drawing notable comparisons between him and Ahab. The first comparison is seen in the bull whale’s withdrawal from the larger pod (which has made him a discernable target for the whaling boats) Melville noting that, “it is not customary for such venerable leviathans to be at all social” (316). A parallel is also seen between their physical bodies, the whale possessing an “unnatural stump of his starboard fin,” (316) while Ahab’s own leg has been irrevocably damaged and subsequently replaced with a prosthetic.

The parallels occurring between Ahab and the whale are important because they illustrate the growing similarities between Ahab and Moby Dick. These similarities illustrate the dehumanizing power of obsession and becomes critical in the later chapters concerning The Chase between Ahab and Moby Dick. The gam with the Jungfrau also illustrates the distance that Ahab places between himself and his crew. During the ensuing whale hunt, the captain of the Jungfrau, Derick, is in a whaleboat along with his men. Melville describes him as “eager for the chase” (316) while goading his men on. Ahab, however, remains aboard the ship while Stubb is the man motivating the Pequod’s whaleboats with his cries, “Pull now, men, like fifty thousand line-of-battle-ship loads of red-haired devils”(317). In this instance the individual, Ahab, placed in relation to an “other” (Young 449), Derick, emphasizes Ahab’s absence. This absence is symbolic of the distance that Ahab creates not only between himself and his men, but between himself and the world.

The fifth gam, between the Pequod and the Rose-Bud is the second instance in which Ahab is far removed from the action. He is utterly unconcerned with meeting the ship’s captain and instead, all socialization and communication is carried out by his mate, Stubb. Typical of the previous gams, the meeting with the Rose-Bud initially centers on whether or not they have information concerning the whale. While Ahab’s physical presence is limited to his “leaning over the quarter-deck rail awaiting his report,” (360) his insistence is felt. He has remained on board, but his need for immediate information has placed him in a physical position that denotes a demand. He is “leaning” over the deck awaiting the news, rather than waiting until Stubb returns to the ship. Furthermore, Ahab breaks a social bond when he sends Stubb to socialize with the Rose-Bud, rather than attending the gam himself. By breaking a social bond, Ahab once again separates himself from the world around him, furthering his loss of humanity through his inability to connect with other men. Additionally, an economic bond is broken in this instance.

After learning of the Rose-Bud’s lack of information concerning Moby Dick, Stubb proceeds to trick her captain into leaving behind a dead whale that Stubb believes to contain the exceedingly valuable substance ambergris, which is “worth a gold guinea an ounce” (362). Upon finding that the whale does contain ambergris, “‘I have it. I have it,’ cried Stubb, with delight, striking something in subterranean regions, ‘a purse! A purse’” (362) an economic bond has been created. Stubb has acquired both the whale and the valuable contents within it, through his own means however, as a part of the crew of the Pequod, he is directly connected to Ahab and is ultimately at Ahab’s discretion. Melville writes, “Some six handfuls were obtained…and more, perhaps, might have been secured were it not for impatient Ahab’s loud command to Stubb to desist, and come on board, else the ship would bid them good bye” (362). Because Stubb is dependent upon Ahab for conveyance, Stubb is unable to gather all of the ambergris and therefore cuts his potential profit.

Ahab’s “impatient” command to leave or be left behind severs the economic bond that had been created. By breaking this bond, Ahab is potentially creating discontent amongst his men who desire the profit to be gained from the ambergris. This discontent furthers Ahab’s separation from his men and parallels his remoteness within the world. The fifth gam, involving the Samuel Enderby, abruptly ends Ahab’s physical removal from the socialization of the encounters, however what would ordinarily denote a positive change in attitude or demeanor becomes, for Ahab, the beginning of the end. The gam with the Samuel Enderby is the first in Ahab’s final path of destruction that weaves through the final four gams and culminates in Ahab’s demise in the final chapters of the novel. Upon sighting the Samuel Enderby, Ahab places himself back amongst the interaction, once again shouting, “Ship, ahoy! Hast seen the White Whale?” (356). But for the first time, the captain of the Samuel Enderby possesses personal information about the whale, thus peaking Ahab’s interest and creating a social bond between them.

Upon sighting the Samuel Enderby’s captain, Boomer‘s, ivory arm, Ahab is described as behaving “impetuous” and “excited[ly]” (387). Ahab’s mood has clearly been uplifted because not only will his need for information concerning Moby Dick likely be satiated, but also because a palpable tie has been established between himself and another man, as evidenced in their ivory limbs. An instantaneous camaraderie is felt by Ahab, as indicated by his cry, “Aye, aye, hearty! Let us shake bones together!—an arm and a leg!” (387) This bond is based entirely upon a shared experience involving Moby Dick. In this instance, as the two prosthetic limbs touch, an organic or living organism-based bond (Idol 156) has also been created. This experience illustrates Ahab’s ability to form bonds with others, emphasizing the contrast as his humanity disappears. Knowing that he is still capable of connecting to others makes his approaching disintegration and loss of humanity all the more tragic. These events are an additional example of individuality or otherness emerging from relation or comparison to another (Young 449).

If Ahab had never evidenced his capability of forming bonds, it would be easier to dismiss his petulance as simply a character flaw that has always existed. However, his lack of empathy and ability to relate is pitiable because he has demonstrated that he can engage in meaningful human interaction. This gam also works as a warning and a prediction. When referring to his own encounter with Moby Dick, Captain Boomer states, “I resolved to capture him, spite of the boiling rage he seemed to be in” (Melville 388). This quote illustrates the captain’s knowledge that Moby Dick was dangerous, even before he set out to capture him and in going against this knowledge, his arm was lost. Clearly, Ahab is aware that Moby Dick is dangerous. Not only has he learned of others misfortunes, but he has already lost a leg to the whale. In pursuing his vendetta with all of his knowledge, Ahab has doomed himself to losing more than a limb. Ahab’s obsession will drive him to his death. Unlike Ahab, captain Boomer is not possessed by monomania and undeterred vengeance, even though he too is a victim.

Captain Boomer shoes his opposite attitude by explaining, “He’s welcome to the arm he has, since I can’t help it, and didn’t know him then; but not to another one. No more White Whales for me; I’ve lowered from him once, and that has satisfied me” (390). Unlike Ahab, a strong sense of reverence is felt for Moby Dick and his power. Additionally, Captain Boomer warns Ahab outright, “He’s best let alone; don’t you think,” (390) but for Ahab, “rationality and indifference [are] impossible attitudes” (Young 458). Being unable to leave the whale alone, Ahab shows a complete disregard for the lives of himself and his crew. This trend continues through the next gam, as Ahab copes with his impending fate. The seventh gam, occurring with the Bachelor, places the good fortune of the Bachelor in contrast with the gloomy Pequod, in order to illustrate how far down Ahab has descended. The crew of the Bachelor is introduced while celebrating the bounty of spermaceti amassed over their journey.

Their captain is described as standing “erect on the ship’s elevated quarter-deck, so that the whole rejoicing drama was full before him” (Melville 433). The captains physical presence, his “erect” stance, coupled with his physical height while on the “elevated” deck, gives him a sense of power and pride that Ahab does not have. This sharply contrasts Ahab’s “stubborn gloom” (433) which is suggestive of Ahab’s poor mental state. His stubbornness will not allow him to stop searching for the whale, even though he is aware that no good will come of it, leaving him in a dark state of gloom. After learning that the Bachelor possesses no information regarding Moby Dick, the captain going so far as to say that he, “don’t believe in him at all,” (433) Ahab is once again alone. The ships course, headed for Ahab’s home, Nantucket, brings out a reflective side of Ahab. Removing a jar of “Nantucket soundings” (433) or sea-bottom sand from his pocket, Ahab silently implies that he will never again return.

This scene creates a sense of longing for home, while at the same time saying goodbye in order to push forward and finish what he has set out for, emphasizing the irrationality of Ahab’s monomania. The penultimate gam involving the Rachel illustrates Ahab’s extreme selfishness as it emerges from self-destruction. Ahab shows his true self as he cruelly denies the Rachel’s needs in order to pursue his fixation with Moby Dick. The Rachel’s Captain Gardiner boards the Pequod in order to ask Ahab to assist him in finding a lost whaling boat, a vessel containing the man’s own son. Captain Gardiner’s desire for the wealth attained in whaling has been put on hold, a rare experience during an ordinary expedition, “Who ever heard of two pious whale-ships cruising after one missing whale-boat in the height of the whaling season?” (464). However, because the boat contains the captain‘s son, “‘My boy, my own boy is among them. For God’s sake’” (464). Gardiner has deemed the diversion necessary and the hunt has been postponed.

The need to save a life has taken precedent over the desire to take life and it is in the differences between need and desire and the act of saving versus that of taking, that illustrate Captain Ahab’s distance from humanity and his complete disregard for civility. Captain Gardiner requests the assistance of Ahab in a desperate manner, “I beg, I conjure” (464). The desperation and desire of his plight is of the same unyielding manner as is Ahab’s, Gardiner stating, “You must, and you shall do this thing” (464). Gardiner’s assertion that Ahab “shall” join his party in the search is given as an unyielding command and he will absolutely not accept “No” for an answer. While he and Ahab share a similar, consuming task, Gardiner’s is one of necessity. The parts that comprise his whole are disconnected and he absolutely needs reconnection. He needs to reunite with a human being, with his child, in order to be complete again. Conversely, Captain Ahab possesses a desire, a want. He craves and covets the death of Moby Dick, inevitably destroying any humanity left within him because of his disregard for others.

Additionally, Captain Gardiner’s need is coupled with a positive act, the saving of a life. In trying to find the lost whaling boat, he has committed himself to giving, rather than taking life. In sharp contrast, Ahab’s desire exists entirely for the destruction of a life. When presented with the opportunity to save rather than destroy, Ahab cries, “‘touch not a rope-yarn;’ then in a voice that prolonging moulded every word--’Captain Gardiner, I will not do it. Even now I lose time’” (465). In denying Gardiner his assistance in saving, opting instead to work towards taking, Ahab severs his ties to mankind. By telling Gardiner, “I will not do it,” Ahab shows that he is completely without empathy for his fellow man. His need to kill is of greater importance than the chance to save lives. In this instance, Ahab has severed his last social bond. In denying Gardiner, Ahab shows that there is no evidence of humanity left within him. He has destroyed any last hope of connecting to anyone and has doomed himself to an isolated death at sea.

The novel’s last gam furthers this idea as the harpoon that ultimately works against Ahab, is introduced. Ahab learns in the ninth gam that the “miserably misnamed” (472) ship, the Delight, has lost men in an encounter with Moby Dick, “I bury but one of five stout men, who were alive only yesterday; but were dead ere night” (472). Here, Ahab introduces to the Delight’s captain, the harpoon that he fully believes will bring an end to Moby Dick: Look ye, Nantucketer; here in this hand I hold his death! Tempered in blood, and tempered by lightening are these barbs; and I swear to temper them triply in that hot place behind the fin, where the White Whale most feels his accursed life. (472) Ahab believes that he will be the one to go further than any man before him and be successful in his attempt to kill the whale. The large amount of trust that Ahab places in himself and the harpoon is indicative of a loss of reason. His illusions of grandeur--that he will be the one to kill Moby Dick--shows his madness.

He is completely devoid of any humanity because he has lost all ties to the world. This is shown by his lack of social ties, as evidenced in the gam with the Rachel, in addition to mental ties or cognitive awareness, as seen in his lack of reason, in this instant. Because Ahab has severed these ties, both of which are necessary possessions if one is to function adequately in the world, he has fated himself to death. He simply cannot live back on land. The tragic end that is evidenced in Ahab’s loss of humanity, is made certain when Ahab finally encounters Moby Dick. The harpoon that is his tool of destruction also works against him: The harpoon was darted; the stricken whale flew forward; with igniting velocity the line ran through the grove;--ran foul. Ahab stooped to clear it; he did clear it; but the flying turn caught him round the neck, and voicelessly as Turkish mutes bowstring their victim, he was shot out of the boat, ere the crew knew he was gone. (499) Ahab’s notion that he could kill Moby Dick has caused his “tragic” fall (Friedman 112).

The harpoon that was meant to kill Moby Dick, has instead resulted in Ahab’s death. This event shows that Ahab’s obsession has caused his demise. Melville’s employment of irony is a suiting end for Ahab. In dying by the harpoon that was intended to kill the whale and with it, bring Ahab back into the world, the fact that he has devolved too far to be able to come back and interact with civilization is emphasized. It is fitting that Ahab leave this world--in which he can no longer communicate--silently. This silence is the culmination of his loss of humanity and disintegration of the bonds presented through the nine gams of the Pequod. References Bryant, John and Haskell Springer, eds. Moby Dick. By Herman Melville. 1851. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Friedman, Maurice. Problematic Rebel. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970. Idol, John. “Ahab and the ‘Siamese Connection’”. The South Central Bulletin. 34.4 (1974): 156-159. JSTOR. San Jose State University.

Myers, Henry Alonzo. “Captain Ahab’s Discovery: The Tragic Meaning of Moby Dick”. The New England Quarterly. 15.1 (1942): 15-34. JSTOR. San Jose State University. Young, James Dean. “The Nine Gams of the Pequod”. American Literature. 25.4 (1954): 449-463. JSTOR. San Jose State University. References Bryant, John and Haskell Springer, eds. Moby Dick. By Herman Melville. 1851. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. Friedman, Maurice. Problematic Rebel. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970. Idol, John. “Ahab and the ‘Siamese Connection’”. The South Central Bulletin. 34.4 (1974): 156-159. JSTOR. San Jose State University. Myers, Henry Alonzo. “Captain Ahab’s Discovery: The Tragic Meaning of Moby Dick”. The New England Quarterly. 15.1 (1942): 15-34.

JSTOR. San Jose State University. Young, James Dean. “The Nine Gams of the Pequod”. American Literature. 25.4 (1954): 449-463. JSTOR. San Jose State University.

Question: What is the name of Captain Ahab’s ship in Moby Dick?
Answer: PEQUOD