The Destruction of the Pequod and Her Crew
In Moby Dick, Ahab, the captain of the Pequod, is a man full of hatred and lust for revenge. These feelings are all directed towards a single creature: Moby Dick. Having spent the majority of his life in pursuit of this great white whale, Ahab’s revenge leads to not only the loss of his own life, but the loss of his entire crew and the utter destruction of his ship. Herman Melville specifically wrote the book to depict how Ahab’s feelings toward the whale lead him and his crew on this path, effectively demonstrating the destructive forces of self indulgence and revenge. However, destruction does not always have to be shown as death and decay. Ahab damages his crew both mentally and physically, as well as demolishing himself…show more content… Ahab causes his crew a great deal of mental stress that takes part in leading them to their end. Even before their deaths, the crew of the Pequod is emotionally distraught by their captain, and many of them are slowly becoming mentally unstable and depressed. These conditions are mainly brought on by Ahab’s quest for revenge and they play a large part in the destruction of the crew. An example of how Ahab wears down on his crew is evident when the oil casks are found to be leaking. Starbuck, dutifully doing his job as first mate, requests that they stop the ship so that they can repair the casks and save as much oil as possible as to not upset the owners of the ship. Ahab however, threatens Starbuck with a musket, and snaps “Let the owners stand on Nantucket beach and outyell the Typhoons. What cares Ahab?” (378). This is a prime example of how Ahab disregards Starbuck completely and threatens him for straying from the quest to Moby Dick. It creates fear within Starbuck, disrupting the sailor’s mental state. Starbuck is acting in good nature, but Ahab’s obsession with the White Whale and only the White Whale