Moby Dick and Transcendentalism

Historians today consider the book Moby-Dick by Herman Melville to be one of the great pieces of literature in American history. However when it was first published, critics thought differently (Cummings, Michael). The style of this novel was written in a very unusual narrative form. As a result of the books early unpopularity, Herman Melville wasn’t able to sell many copies (Moby-Dick/Overview). Today it is widely appreciated as a literary classic, and Moby-Dick is read by a large portion of Americans, particularly high school and college students (The Life and Works of Moby Dick). Moby-Dick produced bad reviews when it was first published because the author brought up sensitive topics such as religion, death, and problems in society through symbolism, something that was unheard of in that era

Before writing the Moby-Dick, Herman Melville faced many tough challenges which made his personal views on life very unique. When Melville was just a young boy his father went insane and died (Moby; Cummings). His mother raised their family of eight kids, but they struggled financially and ended up bankrupt. The family’s economic status caused Melville to drop out of school and work on a whaling ship. His childhood experiences impacted his personal views in life dramatically.

In Moby-Dick, the narrator presents the good and the bad through detailed observations. Melville portrays the narrator to be friendly towards others, yet he is really an outcast of society and prefers to be alone (Moby). Ishmael, the narrator, likes to escape to the sea whenever he is gloomy and needs a break from society.

I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me (Melville 2).

This reference alludes to a transcendentalist idea of the value of nature.

Most of the story takes place out at sea on the whaling ship called the Pequod. In order to represent society fully, Melville creates the Pequod as a microcosm (Cummings). The crew is made up of many different races and religious backgrounds. Towards the end of the novel, Captain Ahab’s compass stops working and the crew starts to grow insane (Cummings). This passage alludes to society, and how important leadership is. It also may be a parallel to his childhood, when his father became insane and his family fell apart. The Pequod really is a society away from society, and this setting sets the novel up for the rest of the story.

In addition to using literary devices to represent aspects of society, death was also a sensitive topic where literary devices were used. In many passages, Melville discussed death in a brutal manner by using analogies.

And then it was, that suddenly sweeping his sickle-shaped lower jaw beneath him, Moby Dick had reaped away Ahab's leg, as a mower a blade of grass in the field. (qtd. in The Life).

Throughout the story literary devices were used to describe the harshness of tragic events that occurred. The ship that is chasing after the whale Moby-Dick is named the Pequod. This name refers to the Pequot, which is an American Indian tribe that was broken up by the British in the new world. This brings up the harsh reality that deaths will occur when two powers clash. In Moby-Dick it happens to be the whale versus the ship.

Herman Melville wrote most of the story in a dark, gloomy tone because of the tragic deaths and events that take place. Even in the beginning of the book the mood is set by hints of foreshadowing in order to make death seem predestined in the novel (Moby). Many of the names hint that bad things will happen in the future of the novel. The Pequod is a good example of how the author tries to hint the destiny of the characters. The narrator’s name is Ishmael, which hints that he will have similar qualities to Ishmael in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Melville introduced specific characters in the novel to indicate future tragic events (Van Spanckeren, Kathryn). Elijah, who is also a famous prophet in the Bible, was one character who talked to the narrator before they set off on the voyage. Melville makes a point to show the doom of the voyage by emphasizing the whiteness of the Moby-Dick, and physical features of Captain Ahab. Melville questions the idea of death and whether or not we are predestined to die at a certain time, or whether it just happens at any random moment.

Throughout the