Essay about Herman Melvilles Moby Dick - 685 Words

Herman Melvilles Moby Dick In Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, a recurring theme of death is seen throughout the book. A coffin appears at the beginning of the book and at the end of the book, Ishmael sees a large oil painting that foreshadows and represents many things and events that follow in the book, and Fedallah makes a prophecy talking about hearses and predicts Ahab’s death. Ishmael stays at The Sprouter-Inn, whose proprietor was a man named Peter Coffin. In the end, Ishmael clings to a coffin for over a day until rescued by another boat. The picture Ishmael sees contains many things seen later in the book, such as a whale and a horrible storm. Fedallah’s prophecy of hearses and hemp prove to be true. Moby†¦show more content†¦Melville describes the picture, The picture represents a Cape-Horner in a great hurricane; the half-foundered ship weltering there with its three dismantled masts alone visible; and an exasperated whale, purposing to spring clean over the craft, is in the enormous act of impaling itself upon the three mast-heads. (Melville, 11) The fist example of foreshadowing is that the painting is an oil painting and the whale hunters try to get the oil from the whales. The hurricane foreshadows the great storm which Ahab refuses to turn back from. The ship represents the Pequod and the three masts represent the three days to try to capture the white whale. The whale represents the white whale which Ahab searches for. And the whale’s act of impaling itself anticipates the whale being harpooned and the death of everyone on the ship except for Ishmael. Fedallah makes a prophecy regarding Ahab’s death and of other things which will all become true. Fedallah says, â€Å"†¦two hearses must verily be seen by thee on the sea; the first not made by mortal hands; and the visible wood of the last one must be grown in America†¦Hemp only can kill thee.† (Melville, 478-479) Fedallah’s prophecy proves to be true. On the third day of the chase, Moby Dick is spotted with Fedallah on his back. Ahab then says, â€Å"Aye Parsee! I see thee again. –Aye, and thou goest before;Show MoreRelatedSatire In Herman Melvilles Moby Dick1239 Words   |  5 PagesSatire in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is a parting from the traditional conception of the Anglo-European novel in underlying the idea of the self as opposed to society, or, the human being in contrast to the universe. Many of Melville’s themes are typical of American Romanticism: the â€Å"isolated self† and the difficulty of self-revelation, the imperfections of human knowledge, the contrast between immorality and virtue, and the pursuit of the truth. 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