Herman Melville Forum

Herman Melville

Forum

Once again, first on the block. I love this book, okay, not the parts about making candles or harpoons but those chapters are good too. I wonder where Melville was taking this book. The theme of revenge is bad, to put it loosely, couldn't be missed unless you are blind. There is another deciding factor, greed. In Moby Dick, Ahab is so driven to get this whale that it consumes his whole life. He takes a crew and goes out to find this whale who he describes as being both ambigious and omipresent. I guess we can all relate to Ahab because the bigger picture is that Moby Dick is a goal, unattainable until death. That was his purpose and we all have a goal that we strive to fufill, for some of us we end up like Ahab, sailing the vast oceans of the world only to find death is the only goal achievable. For others of us who sometimes settle for the norm, we can ultimately find success in our endeavors and are happy about it. Me? I'm not going to try to find some elusive "whale" because sometimes the opportunity comes a knocking. Maybe what I want most in life is already everything I have.

>>By T_Sweety (Saturday, 8 Nov 2003 06:37)

I thought it was about everything,the interconnectedness of all things.I've always remebered it as the most metaphorical book I've ever read.I think obsession , not revenge ,is what Melville was warning about. The destructive power of seeing only one thing in the world.I always assumed that that is why he kept trying to expand the field of potential meaning inherent in every situation

>>By goddog (Sunday, 9 Nov 2003 06:40)

Quikeg was left without development yet It was one of the best characters sckechted. His obsession with Ahab, runs parallel with Ahab compulsion to get Moby Dick. But tell me if anyone did¨nt enjoy this novel.

>>By triston (Monday, 10 Nov 2003 15:35)

The discussion board is currently closed.