How does Captain Ahab describe Moby Dick?

How does Captain Ahab describe Moby Dick?

He would “strike the sun if it insulted me.” The captain wants to take on the structure of nature, even God himself. To him, Moby Dick is not just some dumb brute. The White Whale is a façade, a mask, behind which lurks the “inscrutable thing,” the force that is Ahab’s true enemy.

What is Captain Ahab’s greatest desire?

The Tragedy of Revenge: In the novel Moby Dick, Captain Ahab is obsessed with seeking revenge on the white whale, Moby Dick. His long struggle results in the death and destruction of the entire crew, except for Ishmael, the storyteller.

What is Ahab’s motivation?

Lesson Summary As described by the narrator of the novel, Ishmael, Captain Ahab (ostensibly the villain of the novel) is obsessed with acquiring vengeance against the whale that he holds responsible for the loss of his leg and his scar.

What is Captain ahabs tragic flaw?

At times, Ahab appears a tragic hero and, in his own mind, even a Christlike figure who nobly sacrifices himself in order to destroy evil. His own bullish refusal to accept reality, however, ultimately leads to his downfall.

What is the chief significance of Ahab’s being drowned by his own harpoon line?

What is the chief significance of Ahab’s being drowned by his own harpoon line? It stresses the idea that obsession and vengefulness are self-destructive.

What is on Captain Ahab’s face?

He is the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship Pequod. On a previous voyage, the white whale Moby Dick bit off Ahab’s leg, and he now wears a prosthetic leg made out of whalebone. When Moby Dick is finally sighted, Ahab’s hatred robs him of all caution, and the whale drags Ahab to his death beneath the sea.

Is Captain Ahab a villain?

Type of Villain Captain Ahab, also simply known as Ahab, is the main protagonist-turned-secondary antagonist of the 1851 classic Herman Melville novel Moby Dick.

How is the fact that Ahab’s leg is made from whale bone significant?

How is the fact that Ahab’s leg is made from whale bone significant to the novel’s theme of man versus nature? It signifies that Ahab has pitted himself against nature in an effort to dominate it. Through Ahab, Melville symbolizes how obsession can take over a man’s life.

Why did Ahab seek revenge in Moby Dick?

Ahab seeks revenge for two reasons. One he has been hunting Moby Dick for years and has not been able to kill him. He is frustrated by his inability to catch and kill Moby Dick. He personifies the whale into his mortal enemy. And two, he lost his leg to Moby Dick so he is even more determined to kill him.

Did Captain Ahab have a first name?

In the book, before the ship sets sail, one of the owners, Capt. Peleg , says the name Ahab “‘Twas a foolish, ignorant whim of his crazy, widowed mother,” which would make Ahab a first name. But all of the characters of authority in the novel — Capt. Peleg, Capt. Bildad , Capt.

What does Captain Ahab and the whale symbolize in Moby Dick?

Moby Dick is the white whale that took Ahab’s leg. Due to this, Ahab devotes his life to gaining vengeance against Moby Dick. The whale represents nature and the inability to control nature. Ahab tries to capture and kill Moby Dick numerous times, and the whale escapes every time.

Was Starbuck a sailor with Captain Ahab?

Fictional Sailor. Starbuck is a character in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by author Herman Melville. Strong and steady, Starbuck serves as first mate on the whaling ship Pequod under the command of the mad Captain Ahab. Starbuck tries to stop Ahab’s obsessive hunt for Moby-Dick, but loyal at the last, he dies at sea with Ahab and his crew after a final battle with the great while whale.