These two figures exist in opposition to one another in
this novel. Captain Ahab casts the white whale, Moby Dick, as his enemy and the whale
seems to respond in kind. Beyond the formal representation of natural enemies, Ahab and
the whale are laden with further symbolic meaning. This is especially true of the whale,
whose meaning is discussed at length in the novel.
Moby
Dick stands as a figure of Nature in the text, a creature of the unbounded
sea.
In
developing the theme of the individual (Ahab) versus Nature (symbolized by Moby-Dick),
Melville explores the attributes of natural
forces.
Moby Dick is
therefore a representative of the chaos present in Nature. He is also emblematic of the
philosophical "natural order" that Ahab resists and challenges, which places God and
Nature above mankind, able to dictate man's fate.
Various
anatomical descriptions are made of the whale, as the science of the day sought to
understand the world of Nature and in that way gain some access to its inner-workings if
not control of those mechanisms. These discussions are imbued with specific meanings
that underscore the symbolic signficance of the
whale.
The
whale’s head thus symbolizes the unsympathetic and irresistible forces of
nature.
If we reduce the pair
in opposition in this novel to a simple idea, we can say that Moby Dick is a
representative of Nature (or God) and Ahab stands for
mankind.
The driving force behind Ahab's philosophical
rebellion and his need for revenge is his insistence on free-will. He will not suffer
the ignoble fate dictated to him by the whale; will not humbly accept the loss of his
leg. Even if the whale kills him, Ahab will choose his own
doom.
Thus, Ahab represents mankind in rebellion against
Nature, fate, or God.
He will fight against fate, rather than resign
himself to a divine providence.
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