I think it's a common question for believers in a God to wonder why God allows bad things to happen to us, especially when we consider ourselves good people. I believe that Moby Dick does in fact represent God and Ahab's search for him is not for religion or mercy, but to avenge his misfortune - the bad things that have happened to him, such as losing his leg.
Ishamel describes, "But not yet have we solved the incantation of this whiteness, and learned why it appeals with such power to the soul; and more strange and far more portentous - why, as we have seen, it is at once the most meaning symbol of spiritual things, nay, the very veil of the Christian's Deity; and yet should be as it is, the intensifying agent in things the most appalling to mankind" (175).
What I interpret from this passage is that Ishmael isn't quite sure what is so alluring about the whale's whiteness. He considers it parallel with the veil of Deity, but he also deems it to be appalling and fearing. Ishmael makes other references in this chapter to the whiteness being terrorizing.
Is God not one to be feared? I think within the nature of God, He is one to be absolutely feared in His omnipotent self. Moby Dick is also to be feared; I envision him to be the omnipotent creature in the depths of the sea. He should especially be feared if he is being chased for spiteful and vengeful reasons in order to remove him from his superiority. Perhaps maybe Ahab is even trying to kill Moby Dick so that he can become the all-powerful figure of the sea. Perhaps he is trying to become godlike and feels that the rite to become such a figure is by killing the current king - Moby Dick.
I came across several different blog posts and scholarly articles arguing that Moby Dick does represent God, but an evil God with an intention and desire to inflict misery and pain, and that the sailors and harpooners have the right to hunt the whale. I don't agree with this position. I think Moby Dick does represent God, but not an evil God. I think a lot of times, bad things happen as consequences from a person's actions. Ahab has only malicious and selfish intentions, so he brings a lot of the bad situations with them. I don't know the ending of this great American novel, but I cannot imagine it will end well.
I think you're on to something seeing Ahab as trying to get revenge on God for bad things happening to him. In the Book of Mormon, when the Nephites have fallen into wickedness for the last time and God has started to punish them. Instead of repenting, they "curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives" (Mormon 2:14). Then after winning an antipenultimate victory, they "began to boast in their own strength, and began to swear before the heavens that they would avenge themselves of the blood of their brethren who had been slain by their enemies" (3: 9). Up to this point in their history the Nephites had fought only defensive wars, but after Mormon resigned his post as their leader they go south to battle against the Lamanites. "And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them. (4: 1, 4). I watched a movie version of Moby Dick a few years ago, and at the ending my mom said that if Ahab had just let the whale alone, then the whale would not have been provoked into...well, you'll read about it. From both an LDS and a literary viewpoint, the consequences of pursuing revenge are never good because you are tampering with something that will only do harm to yourself. If you are angry against God, seeking to get "even" with Him will only make you more miserable.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post symbolizing God. I really enjoyed Lizy's comment as well because it got me thinking about other religious references. One account that comes to mind is the Tower of Bable. The people obsessed over building a tower to reach God and subsequently provoked the wrath of God instead. These religious perspectives are really interesting to chew on as we attempt to understand the whale in ways that help us make personal and philosophical connections with the text.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar thought when we read the chapter on whiteness. It's hard not to, right? Melville alludes pretty clearly to it. I think that while Moby Dick does represent some kind of deity, as you said, he also represents Ahab's vengeance. It is somewhat irrational for Ahab to seek out Moby Dick to avenge himself because a whale does not feel the emotions that Ahab feels. Moby Dick does not have it out for Ahab, though he feels that way. One reason I think Ishmael is horrified by the fact that Moby Dick is white is because he is the embodiment of Ahab's ugly revenge, but he is white, which signifies purity. It is like feeling murderous toward something that cannot or will not fight back. This is not explicitly true since Moby Dick is a huge whale with self preservation instincts. But it raises some interesting questions about whiteness.
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