Metamorphosis of Ishmael in Moby Dick Essay - 1005 Words

Metamorphosis of Ishmael in Moby Dick In Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Ishmael undergoes drastic changes in his personality and in the way he views life. Ishmael learns to accept people who are different and learns how to get along with people he never would of on land because of the way they look. On land, the worlds affairs are important but by taking a voyage on the Pequod, Ishmael learns to block out the importance of these affairs and free himself from the restraints put on him by society on land. Ishmael has founds a place more beautiful and more peaceful than anywhere on land by journeying out on the ocean. The changes Ishmael went through from land to sea were beneficial to him. Once Ishmael began voyaging on the†¦show more content†¦Once on the boat he thinks not of Queequeg as a savage cannibal, but as a friend. The ocean has helped Ishmael accept different people and view life in a different manner. In society, one sees what is going on in the world as important and always has to know the latest news, this causes a very stressful environment. One the Pequod and out at sea, Ishmael has learned that being free from society is most important. After being asked by Captain Peleg why he wants to go whaling, Ishmael answers, Well, sir, I want to see what whaling is. I want to see the world ( Melville 74 ). In this passage, Ishmael tells the reason why he is leaving from land to a journey out at sea. Ishmael has grown tired of life on land and wants to journey on the ocean while seeing the world with a sense of freedom. To be free, was Ishmaels goal from the beginning, he wanted to explore the ocean and go on an adventure away from the everyday world. I freely assert, that the cosmopolite philosopher cannot, for his life, point out one single peaceful influence, which within the last sixty years has operated more potentially upon the whole broad world, taking in one aggregate, than the high and mighty business of whaling (Melville 107 ). Ishmael has found his true love in whaling. Ishmael shows his new found love and respect for the business and has also found where peace lies. Ishmael gives this statement aboutShow MoreRelatedEssay about Desire in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick2921 Words   |  12 PagesDesire in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick Moby-Dick describes the metamorphosis of character resulting from the archetypal night sea journey, a harrowing account of a withdrawal and a return. Thus Ishmael, the lone survivor of the Pequod disaster, requires three decades of voracious reading, spiritual meditation, and philosophical reflection before recounting his adventures aboard the ill-fated ship.1 His tale is astounding. With Lewis Mumford’s seminal study Herman Melville: A CriticalRead MoreData Sheet Analysis for Kafkas Metamorphosis Essay4848 Words   |  20 Pages|goes off to country. No location is revealed, all we know is that it | | |is near a hospital and overlooks a busy street. But Kafka confined | |Title: Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis) |the action even further, stating that a majority of the action takes | | |place within Gregors room, described as a proper human room