Moby-Dick, By Herman Melville

Within Moby-Dick, Herman Melville created the symbol of the whale to represent the social and political feminist movements in society during the 1800s. During Melville’s generation, the act of whaling was an exclusive job meant only for men. While the main role for women was based around the single idea of serving to the dominate male’s needs. Within Moby-Dick, there are very few amount of female characters; in fact, majority of them that were in this novel were depicted as a form of a servant. Melville chooses to exploits the obedience of women to expose the social issue surrounding the crucial theme of male subjugation. Meaning that women are only there when they are needed or desired by the man. Although masculinity consumes every aspect

Ishmael notices that in particular, one mother whale still has her baby attached to her through the umbilical cord. Ishmael takes this further and relates the whales to his soul. In this instance, this is where Ishmael attaches himself to the whale. Figuratively, his attachment can relate to a need for a mother figure in his life. “A Jungian study of Moby Dick by Edward F. Edinger considers Melville’s attitude toward women as a consequence of his family setting in which a strong, central mother figure did not exist” (Liquete). The connection Melville creates between Ishmael and the whale is his own internal problem being explored. With very little female characters in this book, Melville proves his disconnection with females in real life to Ishmaels relationship with his mother through the whale. Ishmael, having said been previously abused in his childhood by his mother, never had the mother figure he wanted. Relating himself to the pod of pregnant whales, Ishmael’s vulnerable desire is briefly exposed. Seeing something as beautiful as a mother whale with her umbilical cord still attached makes not only Ishmael, but Melville as well, admire the beauty of a woman’s role in

However, while on the ship, Ishmael does not specialize in any certain type of labor that highlights his whaling skills; he is often seen assisting in accomplishing a minor task. He does not hunt any of the whales, which shows he has more of a sense of compassion for them and their beauty. The crew’s exclusion of Ishmael reflects the theory that in a male dominant society, a woman is unable to function independently without the aid of a male’s presence. It is a metaphor for the skepticism by men of women entering the workforce and world of equality. In the chapter, “The Grand Armada,” the crew is busy hunting whales, while Ishmael is observing the behavior of the crew and the traits they carry. His enthrallment with his crewmates represents the suppression of a females’ desire to become more