Moby Dick Captain Ahab Quotes

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In Herman Melville’s, Moby Dick, one of the main characters is Captain Ahab. Throughout the novel, Ahab is known to have many strengths and weaknesses. Some include his obsession and desire for revenge and his ability to maintain order and control aboard the Pequod. It is revealed to readers that many years back, Ahab was in a whaling accident which caused him to lose his leg; the whale, Moby Dick bit it off. Ever since that day, Ahab has suffered severely and has blamed the whale for everything that has ever gone wrong in his life. From that moment on, Ahab swore and became determined that he would have his revenge, causing him to go insane. But, he manages to maintain his sanity allowing him to move on with his life. When Ishmael, the…show more content…
These aren’t your typical maps, however. They are ones used to track down Moby Dick and hopefully help him take his revenge. Ahab says that he no longer feels joy and that he can’t enjoy anything around him. He says that wherever he goes only leads to darkness and destruction. When he tells his crew the real reason as to why they’re abroad the Pequod, they don’t deny or go against him; not only a convincing speaker but also a threatening one too. Ahab has become so obsessed with hunting down Moby Dick that he says he won’t let anything get in his way. Ahab truly believes that the whale was out to get him and ever since that day, has caused him nothing but misery and suffering. While Ahab knows his crew supports him plan, he confesses that he brought a secret crew aboard the Pequod to make sure that he does take his revenge. It’s a this point in the novel where readers truly see the type of person Ahab is. While he holds a strong position aboard the ship, he is a weak and insane person. He has lived his life in fear of the whale, focusing all his time and energy and money on killing the whale, and thinking that the whale has it better compared to him for it gets to travel and doesn’t
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