Moby Dick

This means that our perceptions of life will be different since our senses vary from person to person. Before Ahab's arousing speech on deck, we learn that all of the crew members saw life differently from one another, hence the different motives for being .
             onboard. Kant felt that there are certain elements which limit our outlook of life. In Moby Dick, the element is Ahab's monomaniacal attitude of hunting down the White Whale. This limits his and eventually all his crew members" perceptions of life which, unfortunately, drives all but one of them to death. In East of Eden, most of the philosophy comes from the Trasks" housekeeper, Lee. He brings up the idea of timshel after carefully studying and translating the Cain and Abel story. This concept gives humans the choice between living an immoral or ethical life. Caleb perceives this and is able to stray away from the path that his mother had once taken. .
             "But the Hebrew word, the word timshel-"Thou mayest"-that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open (Steinbeck, 301)." Lee's explanation of the word timshel brings forth a very important theme: free will. According to Lee, God gives mankind a choice of whether or not to overcome sin. "For if "Thou mayest"-it is also true that "Thou mayest not (Steinbeck, 301)."" Near the end of East of Eden, Cal chooses to live his own life and denies any part of his mother in him; therefore, he decides to overcome his sins. Cathy, on the other hand, chooses not to overcome her sins and, as a result, she commits suicide. The free will in Moby Dick is represented by the monkey-rope. "So strongly and metaphysically did I conceive of my situation then, that while earnestly watching his motions, I seemed distinctly to perceive that my own individuality was now merged in a joint stock company of two: that my free will had received a mortal wound; and that another's mistake or misfortune might plunge innocent me into unmerited disaster and death (Melville, 349).