Symbolism In Moby Dick

Major Scenes:
Ishmael takes to the sea.
Ishmael and Queequeg develop a new friendship at the Spouter Inn. Ishmael sees the fate of fellow whalers on the walls of the chapel and wishes the same fate upon himself, “Yes, Ishmael, the same fate be thine” (45).
Ahab nailing the doubloon to the mast of the Pequod in order to unite all of the men on the journey to capture Moby Dick
Ahab’s question to the ships in all 9 gams, “Hast seen the white whale”.
The Pequod’s compass is reversed and Ahab smashes the quadrant, steering the men only with his instinct toward the location of Moby Dick.
Ahab’s monologue after he announces the purpose of the journey to the crew, hunting the white whale.
Ahab tries to spear Moby Dick and as a result is dragged
Dominate Imagery and Tropes:
Symbolism of Queequeg’s Coffin:
The first symbol of the coffin in the novel pertains to Queequeg’s impending death, and its connection to the canoes that the people of his homeland buried the dead in. When he wills himself out of death and places all of his belongings inside the coffin, using it as a chest, it becomes a symbol of continuing life. It represents hope, as it is the device that saves Ishmael’s life.
Symbolism of the white whale:
To every character in the novel, Moby Dick symbolizes different things. Some believe he is a false myth, and others swear by his existence. To Ahab, the whale symbolizes a mask that has attained a greater power than that which Ahab possesses. He believes that there are evil forces behind every whale refuses to accept the notion that any power is greater than Ahab’s. While Ahab sees the whale as living evil, Starbuck he symbolizes every whale on the earth. He is no different from the other whales that swim the seas, perhaps more dangerous than the others.
Iron rails of Ahab’s
Ahab places himself on the same level as the Lord with his statement asking if the crown that HE wears is too heavy, that his burden is Christ-like.
Allusion to Lazarus and the tomb: “I felt all the easier; a stone was rolled away from my heart. Besides, all the days I should now live would be as good as the days that Lazarus lived after his resurrection; a supplementary clean gain of so many months or weeks as the case might be. I survived myself; my death and burial were locked up in my chest.”
The stone rolled away from his heart is the start of a biblical allusion that comes from the Gospel of John. The story in the Bible goes as follows: the sisters of a man named Lazarus asked Jesus to come and visit Lazarus because he was sick, but by the time he had gotten there the man had been dead and lain in a tomb for four days. Jesus orders the stone to be rolled back, and out walked Lazarus. Ishmael believes that every day of his life that he has yet to live he will be grateful and live them with knowledge of how close death really looms.
Irony of the