“To the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”
What’s the meaning of vengeance; and is it possible to revenge oneself on someone in a meaningful way? If the answer is yes, can one revenge oneself on an animal and can one find the long-awaited salvation? These questions are examined in Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick”.
“Moby-Dick” is known as one the most influencing works of classical literature, but not only thanks to its topic about taking revenge, but also thanks to its adventurous story, which leads us into a thrilling world of the seafaring and whaling. Whaling used to be a real adventure in the past and was a lot more dangerous than nowadays. It wasn’t only about killing animals. It was a dangerous fight between the man and the leviathan. It was a battle on the sea and often caused many deaths. The whaling industry used to be an important part of the USA and other countries.
In the story, we follow the young Ismael during his first big adventure. We’re thrown into a world which we’ve never seen before. Wild islanders, mighty sea beasts and old, proud sea bears can be found here, as well as the white whale, the king of the sea, Moby Dick. He was the cause for Captain Ahab’s loss of one of his legs. And now, he wants to take revenge. And there we’re again, wondering if taking vengeance on an animal is making any sense.
Read the novel and judge by yourselves. You will be entertained, you will learn and you might receive much anger.
Image Source: http://www.avidly.org/2013/01/24/a-smart-dude-reads-moby-dick-episode-5-chapterology-contd/
