This is a great question, because it's easy to do all three, even during the course of a single chapter. However, I actually primarily pity Ahab, because I see him as a tragic, nearly Shakespearean, hero.
Herman Melville's Moby Dick was ahead of its time, as its exploration of existence was more closely aligned with the later tenets of Modernism than with the sensibilities of the 19th century. Overall, you can think of Moby Dick,...
This is a great question, because it's easy to do all three, even during the course of a single chapter. However, I actually primarily pity Ahab, because I see him as a tragic, nearly Shakespearean, hero.
Herman Melville's Moby Dick was ahead of its time, as its exploration of existence was more closely aligned with the later tenets of Modernism than with the sensibilities of the 19th century. Overall, you can think of Moby Dick, the White Whale, as a symbol of existential meaning. Actually, it would be more accurate to think of the whale as a symbol of existential meaninglessness, as the chapter "The Whiteness of the Whale" essentially examines Moby Dick's whiteness and proclaims it to be a symbol of the meaninglessness of life. As such, Ahab's quest is not just the absurd venture of a crazed and crippled sailor; rather, it's a depiction of humanity struggling against the meaninglessness of life. Ahab's pursuit of the whale is a symbol for the universal search for meaning in life, and the captain's ultimate demise is a reference to the impossibility of such a quest. Whether you agree with Melville's gloomy outlook or not, the fact remains that Ahab is a tragic figure, one who dies trying to find the purpose of existence. As such, I cannot help but pity Ahab, despite his craziness and his cruelty.
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