Whiteness Of The Whale

473 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Moby Dick_various Interpretations

The theme of whiteness in the traditional sense usually represents purity, peace, innocence, and goodness. The theme of darkness, on the other hand, represents fear, chaos, injustice, and evil. Herman Melville in one of his novels, Moby-Dick or The Whale, challenges this idea and uses his novel in order to present the themes of duality, lack of knowledge, and fear of the unknown. Chapter forty-two of Moby Dick, Whiteness of the Whale, does not further the plot of the novel. Instead, it talks the one theme (whiteness of the whale) that the entire novel is based on and without this chapter the book loses its meaning as Melville writes, “It was the whiteness of the whale that above all things appalled me. But how can I hope to explain myself here; and yet, in some dim, random way, explain myself I must, else all these chapters might be naught.” …show more content…

But later in the chapter, he argues that whiteness is also something that adds fear to anything that is already dangerous and that behind that majestic whiteness, there is fear and terror; a shark or a polar bear for example. A polar bear from far away looks peaceful and beautiful covered in its white fur coat, but in reality it is fearful and ferocious. Snow looks like heaven from a distance but it is cold and deadly once you are near it. Similarly, Ishmael is appalled by the whiteness of the whale more than anything because it the color white more than anything else that evokes the feeling of fear and danger in him; not the size or the ferocity of the whale but

Show More
Related

  • The Evolution of Whales

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Image sitting on the beach one July morning. The sun is beaming down and decide to go for a swim. As you approach the water, you see a whale unusually close. You begin to get nervous as it continues to approach the shore. However, you aren’t worried because you know that they are confined to the sea. As the whale comes near you can see it clearly. Just as you think that it will turn around, the whale walks out of the ocean!

    Read More

  • Whale Rider Analysis

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    To fight is to stand up for what is right, break through the walls of what is acceptable, and to have the fire blazing in the eyes of a warrior. Throughout life society has taught humanity to form into a definite way that should not ever change, but through life there has been a small population who are immune from societies spell. The outcasts that must battle to stand up for what they believe is right. In the novels Antigone, Anthem, and in the movie Whale Rider, the main characters fight for what they believe is right by standing up to society's norms the society has deemed acceptable.

    Read More

  • The Killer Whales: Characteristics Of The Killer Whale

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the front of the head is the melon. Its melon transmits sound waves that help it see at night to helping it catch its prey. Killer whales have sharp, cone-shaped
teeth made for ripping and tearing prey. The Killer Whale has no sense of smell because there is a part of their brain missing that is missing. The sense of smell goes unused because they spend most of the time in the ocean. The blowhole helps the Killer Whale to breathe; the blowhole flap provides a watertight seal. To open its blowhole, a killer whale relaxes the muscle covering the hole (SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment).

    Read More

  • The Whale Whales

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, is an inspiring story about an Essex from Nantucket, getting attacked by a eighty-five ton sperm whale miles deep out in the ocean. In these times, going on any ocean expedition had its precautions. While much focus on food, drinking water, medication and a method to cure illness, the most overlooked impairment was the creatures of the ocean. While the men of this vessel left the docks as predators, the survivors of the ninety- three-day journey on three small harpoon boats came back as prey. This story gives a great depiction of the potential of the sperm whale as well as the devastation that they can bring.

    Read More

  • The Bowhead Whale

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people can feel connected to the earth and their surroundings by observing and learning the way of the animals, including the whales. The Bowhead whale has been an important part in the Inuit-Inupiaq people of northern Alaska’s way of living. Native Americans have used animals like the whale in their stories to explain life and moral values. An American Indian author, Vine Deloria Jr., stated that, “Native Americans saw themselves as being related in some fundamental manner to every other living species. They believed each species had a particular knowledge of the universe and specific skills for living in it.” (Caduto and Bruchax, XI) Vine Deloria along with many other Native American authors has taught us through their words the roles that animals play in the Native American culture. The animals in these stories teach us some of the same values that are displayed in traditional literature, including fairy tales, nursery rhymes and The Bible. We can see how Bowhead whales’ physical traits and connection to the earth are linked to Native American culture by examining scientific information and Native American literature.

    Read More

  • The Evolution of Whales

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    The origin of modern day whales, a mystery that has puzzled paleontologists for years, may have just been solved with the discovery of an ankle bone. This discovery might sound simple and unimportant, but the bones of these ancient animals hold many unanswered questions and provide solid proof of origin and behavior. The relationship between whales and other animals has proven to be difficult because whales are warm-blooded, like humans, yet they live in the sea. The fact that they are warm-blooded suggests that they are related to some type of land animal. However, the questions of exactly which animal, and how whales evolved from land to water, have remained unanswered until now.

    Read More

  • Innocence In Moby-Dick

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Moby-Dick, Herman Melville explores the theme of the impossibility for a man to return to his original innocence, whether in the sense of the beginning of mankind or the innocence of a young child. Primarily written in the first person point of view and set on a mid-nineteenth century American whaling ship, the novel illustrates how the sailors on board the ship respond to the hardships and internal conflicts of whaling. Symbols, metaphors, biblical allusions, and personalities of main characters all weave into an intricate display of how all men become corrupt with varying forms of evil and how any attempts to reverse the effects are futile.

    Read More

  • Killing the Killer Whale

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Orcas, also known as killer whales, are amazingly intelligent and are a top predator, much like humans. However, when the top predator of the ocean collides with the top predator of land, the situation can become fatal for both humans and the whales. Holding these incredibly massive marine animals in captivity is not only inhumane and detrimental to the whale’s health, but also a potentially fatal activity for humans to participate in.

    Read More

  • What Does Stamp Paid Mean In A Jungle?

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolism helps portray what whites think of slaves. According to the quote, whites or slave owners define blacks’ skin as an experience in a jungle. A jungle represents danger or even mystery. A jungle is filled with surprises and one may not know what to expect. Specifically in this novel, white people created this scenario to describe

    Read More

  • The Development Of Whales: The Evolution Of Whales

    2293 Words  | 5 Pages

    Whales are considered to be intelligent mammals, but they live in the water despite the fact that mammals evolved on land. Paleontologist Phil Gingerich has been studying the evolution of whales since 1978. In 1978, he and his team discovered a rock in Pakistan with a skull on the inside. The skull appeared to be a wolf-like animal upon first sight, but Gingerich noticed the distinct whale ear on the skull. The skull, which had characteristics of both whales and other mammals, was that of a common ancestor of the whale known as Pakicetus. Many scientists believe that Pakicetus resembled the seal in its appearance. Pakicetus could not be considered a whale, since its backbone and limbs do not have similar features to those of a whale. Therefore, it is considered an ancestor of the whale, since it has some features of the whale and some unique features (or features of other mammals). Today’s whales have mammalian characteristics, which prove that they have evolved from a common ancestor of the mammal. A whale’s fin also has traits that are common of many species. The fin seems to be similar to that of a fish, but the bones on the inside of the fin are similar to those on a bird’s wing, a monkey’s arm, and a frog’s limb. This seems to be proof that these organisms, and many others, all evolved from a common ancestor. Other proof that whales have evolved over time lies in Egypt in the Valley of Whales, where over 400 fossils of whales currently lie. The desert used to be a large sea that was home to a few kinds of whales. In the Valley of Whales, Gingerich discovered the Basilosaurus, which had small hind legs, toes, and a mobile knee and lived 35-41 million years ago. This fossil is considered to be a transitional fossil, since it ha...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Whale Rider

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    A hero is someone who will attempt everything in their power to help others and risk everything they have to help others. In the movie, The Whale Rider, you can clearly see all the elements of The Hero’s Journey. A young girl named Paula Apirana, is living in a small village with her grandparents. Paika’s dad, who is living in Spain, returns to see Paula and proposes that she should come live with him. She declines the offer and decided to stay with her grandparents. Paula then secretly tries to learn the important ritual, that only males are allowed to learn. Her grandpa, Paka, gets extremely angry at her until he realizes that she is the “chosen one” to perform the ritual. Paika goes through many difficult challenges, however she manages

    Read More

  • The Whale as Symbol in Moby Dick

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    Melville represents much that one can know about the white whale. Moby Dick is literally an albino

    Read More

  • The Quest for Meaning in Moby Dick

    2644 Words  | 6 Pages

    "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme. No great and enduring volume can ever be written on the flea, though many there be who have tried it" states the narrating character Ishmael as he attempts to justify his reasoning on writing such a lengthy novel. Indeed, the whale may be the most complex and grandiose mammal on earth, yet one may still question the ulterior motive of Melville for explicating every detail of a whaling journey in Moby Dick. In fact, Melville develops many themes throughout the text that lead the reader to believe that his "mighty theme" is the meaning of life. Thus, the adventure of hunting the Great White Whale, Moby Dick, can be seen as a giant analogy to seeking the meaning of life. Through this journey, Ishmael describes the different members of the crew and their interpretation of the whale. Yet, Ishmael refrains from assigning one particular meaning to the whale and, in the end, is the only crewmember to survive the journey. Symbolically, Melville believes that an individual must be able to see many meanings in life in order to survive the trap of intolerance of different beliefs and lifestyles. To evidence this hypothesis, Melville presents a number of ironic contrasts in the text including religious hypocrisy, the false appearance of the sea, the relationship of Good and Evil, the coffin as a dual symbol of both life and death, the interpretations of the whiteness of the whale, and the life/death issue of the whaling industry. Through these contrasts, Melville strives to awaken the reader to the many meanings of life and to avoid limiting one’s mind to one, fixed meaning.

    Read More

  • Metaphysical Ideologies in Moby Dick

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    At first glance, Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, appears to be the story of a man, his captain, and the whale that they quest to destroy.  But a closer look reveals the author’s intense look at several metaphysical ideologies.  He explores some of the most ponderous quandaries of his time, among these being the existence of evil, knowledge of the self and the existential, and the possibility of a determined fate.  All of these were questions which philosophers had dealt with and written about, but Melville took it to a new level: not only writing about these things, but also doing so in a lovely poetic language backed by a tale packed with intrigue.  He explores the general existence of evil in his antagonist, the white whale, and through the general malice that nature presents to humans throughout the novel.  The narrator, Ishmael, gains a lot of knowledge about himself through his experiences on the whaling voyage, where he also is able to learn much about the phenomenon of existence itself.  Also, through Captain Ahab, he sees more about the existence of man and the things that exist within man’s heart.  Especially through Ahab and his ongoing quest for the white whale, and also in general conversation amongst the whalers, the issue of fate and whether one’s destiny is predetermined are addressed in great detail, with much thought and insight interpolated from the author’s own viewpoints on the subject.

    Read More

  • The Natural History of Whale Sharks

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is the largest fish in the world? The answer would be the Rhincodon typus, or commonly known as, the whale shark. The whale shark is vey unique because unlike normal sharks, the whale shark is a filter feeder and so, does not have use of its teeth. The whale shark is also about the size of a bus. However, like many animals in the world today, they are considered vulnerable according to the IUCN. They are seen often in the tropical areas, but many behavior and movement mechanism of the whale shark are still unknown.

    Read More

More about Whiteness Of The Whale

Open Document