October 22, 2008
All sailors know the great story of the white whale, and everyone who’s faced him has either died or been traumatized. So no one would really care if, after Ahab’s incident, he just gave up like all the others. I feel that that could possibly be another reason why he’s risking everything: because he doesn’t want to be like all the others. After all, how awesome would it be to be known as the man who battled Moby Dick and lived? And then have enough courage to go back and search for him again? We all speak about Ahab’s thirst for revenge, but (I could be totally off here) could it be a search for fame as well?
Chapter 108 was when Ahab had the carpenter make his new leg. It was interesting because for what seems like the first time someone ( the carpenter) voices how crazy they think Ahab really is. I’m surprised that throughout the book no other characters have noticed or disagreed with Ahab’s decisions. Ahab’s obsession with the white whale is evident again in chapter 109 because Ahab initially refuses to go into shore to fix the leaking oil casks. He no longer cares about the profits of whaling or their vessel, he only cares about finding the white whale.
Ahab is completely off the wall. Even after FEDALLAH, his own little devil man, prophecy’s his death he is still completely undeterred from his quest. True, it won’t be Moby Dick himself, but it will be the ropes, which only exist in a potentially harmful whale on the ship itself. Any sane person would get off as fast as they possibly could.
All he has to do to further his survival is to not go after this dangerous animal. He clearly does not care about his own life or any of his shipmates lives. He himself is his worst enemy. He will cause his own demise i predict.
