The Writing Style, Symbolism, and Prophesies of Moby Dick
Why is Moby Dick listed as one of the greatest books of all time? Like The Great Gatsby, Moby Dick is one of those literary titans that we are supposed to read in junior high school. What does this book, with its exhaustive and elaborate 19th-century writing style and narrative about a man and a whale, contribute to anyone’s life?
Characters in Moby Dick
Although a man calling himself Ismael narrates it, the person at the center of the novel is Captain Ahab, a man driven to revenge upon a giant white whale who is called Moby Dick. Moby Dick took his leg, and Ahab isn’t going to let that go…ever. The captain is salty, and it’s not just because he’s spent his life at sea.
The story is a reversal of the Biblical story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a ‘whale’ after he disobeyed God’s command. In ‘the belly of the whale,’ Jonah learns humility. On the other hand, Captain Ahab goes down screaming.
So what’s great about it?
What Is The First Line of Moby Dick?
The American Book Review named this the most iconic first line of American literature: “Call me Ishmael.”
What makes this one of the greatest opening lines of all time? “Call me Ishmael” is a product of its 19th-century origin. Melville’s writing style has been called “unceasingly allusive” by editors John Bryant and Haskell Singer. And this is true of that iconic first line. Ishmael is an allusion to biblical character—the son of Abraham and his handmaid Ishmael and his mother were thrown out after Ishmael harassed Abraham’s legitimate son.
This allusion would have been familiar and resonant with Melville’s 19th-century audience. This character is a lost soul but an innocent soul. Ishmael was cast out, not for a crime, but for the common misdeed of teasing his half-brother.
If the first line had been “Call me Cain”—a more famous biblical character thrown out of his family—the reader would infer that the narrator was a murderer or another serious criminal.
The sentence also creates a mystery. Using the phrase “call me” instead of “my name is” or “I am” tells the reader that the narrator is using an alias. This entices readers to keep reading.
What is The Writing style of Moby Dick?
This brief first line is in contrast with the rest of the novel. Melville uses an ornate writing style to weave his narrative of revenge and fate. His sentences loop back on themselves, creating a complex web of emotion.
Consider this paragraph, for example:
Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure. Consider also the devilish brilliance and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished shape of many species of sharks. Consider, once more, the universal cannibalism of the sea; all whose creatures prey upon each other, carrying on eternal war since the world began.
Melville laughs in the face of the Shrunk and White admonition to ‘omit needless words.’ And, unlike Vonnegut, Melville loves the semicolon. This writing style almost seems too intricate, too complex, but notice the fluid rhythm of these three sentences.
Each sentence begins with “consider” and throws a shipload of adjectival phrases at the reader. The repetitive and cumulative sentence structure moves like waves in the ocean, thus echoing the content of the paragraph. Creating a narrative structure that mimics something in the real world takes skill.
Let’s move on from the writing style of Moby Dick and look at its content.
Symbolism and Prophecy in Moby Dick
Recently, the prophecy has become a YA cliché: the chosen one will defeat the Big Bad but may have to sacrifice themselves in the process (looking at you, Harry Potter).
And even if things go badly for the hero, the world will be saved, and evil will be defeated. Let’s call this kind the Goal Prophecy.
But Moby Dick doesn’t have this fluffy kind of prophecy. Its prophecy style is much, much darker. Moby Dick shares its prophetic style with Shakespearean and Greek tragedies like Hamlet and Oedipus Rex.
Have you ever had an out-of-the-blue strange feeling as you walk into a room and get the shivers, complete with the hairs rising on the back of your hands? Is it ghosts? Is there an axe murderer hiding in the closet? An evil clown in the bathtub?
Don’t. Turn. Around.
Just kidding. There’s no one lurking behind you…Or is there?
Moby Dick is that eerie, suspenseful feeling concentrated into a 500-page book. So, how can writers use that skill today? Fate has already paved the way for these characters; the only thing left to discover is how they will react as the tragedy unfolds.
How Does Moby Dick Use Prophecy to Build Suspense?
The prophecies often come from unreliable sources: witches, blind oracles, and young boys driven mad by drowning. This adds an element of uncertainty to the story, thus creating suspense.
By trying to avoid these prophecies or misinterpreting them, characters inadvertently cause their downfalls, which creates a sense of poetic judgment or completion.
It takes the emphasis away from what will happen and puts it on why and how. Stories like this are often spoiler-proof—we all know Macbeth kills Duncan, Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother, Romeo and Juliet die, and the Titanic sinks, but we still want to see the story unfold. And sometimes over and over again.
Seeing the worst possible thing happen to a character is cathartic for the reader/viewer.
Moby Dick Writing Prompt #1
Select an object, animal, or element (a specific bird, a piece of artwork, a tool, a place, a color, etc.) and use it as a symbolic element that creates a sense of foreboding in your narrative. Bonus points if the item is cute or non-threatening.
Moby Dick and The Concept of The Fatal Flaw
Aristotle discusses the concept of a fatal flaw or hamartia, a flaw in thought or action that leads to a character’s downfall. It can be pride or lust or just a momentary distraction.
In Moby Dick, Captain Ahab's fatal flaw is his obsession and vengeful pursuit of the white whale, Moby Dick, to the exclusion of all else. This ultimately leads to his downfall. Ahab begins to see himself as a god, disregarding the safety of his crewing and raging against a creature he thought of as the embodiment of evil. Even with his dying breath, Ahab chooses to curse the whale instead of concern himself with his sinking ship:
Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; 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. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale! Thus, I give up the spear!
Recently, this idea has fallen out of favor in literary circles—there should be no great tragic heroes and no single reason a person might fail.
I agree…but I also can't entirely agree.
The every-man—and most of them were men—characters that dominated the 20th century opened the world of literature up to blue-collar protagonists and smaller stories. Still, I would like to see iconic heroes who aren’t white men and are allowed to have rises and falls. I feel like those stories haven’t been told.
Moby Dick Writing Prompt #2
Write a story where the protagonist’s fatal flaw is your go-to answer to the classic interview question: What is your greatest weakness?
Who Wrote Moby Dick?
AUTHOR Spotlight: Herman Melville
Herman Melville dedicated Moby Dick to Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. The two met in 1850 while Melville was working on Moby Dick, and Hawthorne made an impression on the slightly younger writer. Finding others who love the writing craft and whose advice you appreciate can benefit any writer.
