Moby Dick was written by Herman Melville in 1851, and is set on board a whaling vessel named the Pequod. It is narrated by the character Ishmael, who wishes to see the world and has set out as a crew member on the ship. The story focuses on the quest of the Pequod’s captain, Captain Ahab, as he hunts the great white whale Moby Dick out of revenge for the beast having taken his leg off. A large theme throughout the novel is fate, and the different characters outlooks and philosophy on it. The story demonstrates how fate can lead someone's entire life, how it can cause people to abandon their duty, and how it can make people accept death. Throughout Moby Dick, many of the characters have lives that they claim to have been predestined by fate. Ishmael for example, claims that his need to go to sea and his entire life as a sailor was forced upon him by destiny. He accuses fate of controlling his decision to go whaling, saying it was “cajoling me into the delusion that it was a choice resulting from my own unbiased freewill and discriminating judgment.” (Melville, pg. 22) By saying this, Ishmael is stating that even when he makes a decision for himself it is …show more content…
Even though Ahab knows that he is leading the Pequod and her crew to their destruction, he continues on in his hunt. When the time comes for him to battle the whale, he battles it three times, whereas someone who valued their life would have quit after the first attack. Ahab says, “By heaven, man, we are turned round and round in this world, like yonder windlass, and Fate is the handspike.” (Melville, pg. 557) By saying this, he is asserting that though he doesn’t know why he must hunt Moby Dick, he knows that fate is commanding him to, and then he must. He charges into death without fear simply because he believes that this is his predestined