Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is a fanatical and temerarious adventure about seamen engaging in a hunt for whales. Within this glorious adventure, homosexual relationships and sexual references are disguised in Melville's novel. This story is a vehicle for something entirely unrelated to the surface meanings in his novel. Also, it is full of sexual imagery. Melville uses symbolic themes, metaphors and double entendres to expose homosexuality. This seafaring voyage metaphorically symbolizes Ishmael's sexual liberty for homoerotic bonds. .
Ishmael's sexuality is expressed in the social and homoerotic bonds between men. In chapter 94, "A Squeeze of the Hand", the hunting and harvesting of whales promotes explicit homosexual connotations: Squeeze! Squeeze! Squeeze! All morning the morning long; I squeezed the sperm till I myself almost melted into it; I squeezed that sperm till a strange sort of insanity came over me; and I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers' hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such abounding, affectionate, friendly, lovely feeling did this avocation beget; that at last I was continually squeezing their hands and looking up into their eyes sentimentally; as much to say-Oh! my dear fellows why should we longer cherish any acerbities, or know the slightest ill-humor envy! (322-323).
The language used here is symbolic: sperm is the representation of masculinity. In this context, the sperm represents the men engaging in an intimate act. Ishmael's mind is in the gutter. He is fervently excited from the idea of wallowing in the whale's sperm. More importantly, he feels an erotic brotherhood with the other seamen around him. These men are participating in a physical act which suggests a sexual performance. We are not sure if the seamen are masturbating themselves or one another. Still, this is an ecstatic experience for Ishmael from the lusty and pleasurable tone.
Just as many people fear God they also feared Moby Dick. Moby Dick possesses an array of symbolic meanings for a variety of individuals. ... Melville shows that Moby Dick is capable of great violence. ... Moby Dick is symbolic of nature. ... It is evident that Moby Dick holds a great deal of power. ...
Biblical and Mythological Allusions in Moby Dick An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. ... In Moby Dick, Herman Melville frequently uses biblical and mythological allusions. ... Melville not only used a number of biblical allusions in Moby Dick, but he also used many mythological allusions. ... Another mythological allusion Melville used in Moby Dick is mentioned of the Fares. ... The allusions in Moby Dick are to commonly known people and conflicts. ...
This being the case, it makes sense for Moby Dick to be white. ... He's lucky Moby Dick didn't kill him outright! ... Moby Dick was an exceptionally intelligent whale. ... While Moby Dick went out of his way to avoid hurting a human again, Ahab went insane hunting down Moby Dick to avenge himself. ... He joined the Parsee in his watery grave trailing Moby Dick. ...
Furthermore, while on their journey to find Moby-Dick, the phenomenon of St. ... Lastly, Ahab's treatment of Moby-Dick is very brutal. ... He talked of killing Moby-Dick in all his waking hours. ... In this book, Moby-Dick is portrayed as being godlike. ... Ahab is closely linked with evil in Moby-Dick. ...
The Redeeming value of Moby Dick Moby Dick was, in the physical, written to tell a story of the ever-allusive white whale. ... Moby Dick, in all actuality represents the idea of Christianity and purity. It could even be said that Moby Dick represents the figure of Christ. ... Ahab's main objective was to discredit and destroy Moby Dick. ... This is the redeeming value of Moby Dick....
The underlying themes to Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, are far-reaching and studied in many academic areas. ... When this idea is brought to Moby Dick, many interpretations can be made. ... I see the ways of Moby Dick, like those of a god, as being unknowable to man. ... In reality it can be true, and in Moby Dick it is certainly true. ... Ahab exploits the crew to have them share his idea of their fate, to find and destroy Moby Dick. ...
The American Classic ~Moby Dick~ The story of Moby Dick is truly an American literary classic. ... Moby Dick was first published in 1851 and to this day is still being studied by many scholars. There is much to be learned from the theme of this novel, as in any book, there is a message or a "moral of the story" type lesson you can learn from Moby Dick that keeps not only the new age scholars interested, but the average reader as well. "Moby Dick is not a dream but a work of imaginative art, and this means that it is the product of a complex creative process- (Arvin; 278). ... So in concl...
Moby Dick Synopsis Melville's novel Moby Dick tells us a strange journey of an ordinary seaman named Ishmael, who decided to go on a whaling voyage in Massachusetts during the 1840s. ... As the ship was destroyed by the Moby Dick, it sinks. ... Individualism in Moby Dick. ... Shulman indicates that in Melville's novel Moby Dick, he questions traditional answers about where evil comes from. ... Moby Dick is a great example of nature's destructive way. ...
Annotated Bibliography The Shining and Moby Dick LoBrutto, Vincent. ... In Search of Moby Dick, Great Britain, Abacus, 2000. ... His record of this adventure was read by Melville, and incorporated into the greater story of Moby Dick. ... In the "Introduction" to the Oxford World Classics edition of Moby Dick, 1988. ... By using such analysis of The Shining as a type of voyage, this may offer another line of comparison to Moby Dick. ...
Moby Dick, a Man's Obsession Herman Melville's idea of human obsession as demonstrated in Moby Dick is clearly a sign that it shall be man's downfall. ... Throughout the years many have studied Moby Dick is hopes to find the true meaning, or just deep literary value the book provides. ... Which of course was the captains fault for being obsessed Moby Dick. ... He has two sides to him, and the darker one was released whenever Moby Dick was mentioned. ... Melville must have sensed this too, because not long after he wrote Moby Dick he wrote Moby Dick, or the whale, which is pret...
