MD-Analysis

__Argument__
Moby Dick portrays a creative way of using narrative structure and digression in order to deviate from the main plot and into a story with much more meaning. The author uses other stories and significant events to exemplify what the future holds for Ahab and his crew. The story starts off with Ishmael who wants to take part in a whaling expedition in order to gain the experience and knowledge of such an important industry of his time. During the voyage, he ends up learning a lot of the whaling industry but here Melville deviates into writing a story not about whaling but of man vs. nature and transcendentalism. Some are in the voyage for the money, one is in it for the knowledge and experience while another is in it for revenge, but they all have one simple goal in mind, to hunt down some whales. There are four chapters that show a good use of digression in //__Moby Dick,__// those are Ishmael’s changing perspective on Queequeg in chapter three, Father Maple’s sermon in chapter nine, Starbuck’s problem in chapter thirty-eight and a piece of cetology in chapter ninety-four.

=__Analysis__=

Chapter 1 scene I
The novel starts off with Ishmael introducing himself with the distinguished and simple two worded line " Call me Ishmael".He goes on to state what he likes to do after being such a long time on land and how he turns to the open sea for that desired escape. From the information given, one can conclude that he is a man of adventure and knowledge and that whaling is of big interest to him do to the fact that whaling was such an important business at that time. This scene helps get the reader in touch with the narrator that will be guiding them throughout the voyage.

Chapter 3 scene II
After a long and arduous search for an inn that perfectly fit what Ishmael was looking for, he settled for The Spouter Inn. The Landlord says that he has no more rooms available but if Ishmael was willing to share a bed with a harpooner, then he need not worry because he would have something available. Ishmael starts to get a little worried about having to share a bed with a harpooner due to all the information Mr. Coffin has provided him. After being led up to his room Ishmael falls asleep and to his surprise is awakened by Queequeg, the Harpooner. Right away he panicks and screams for help. Due to Quequeg's savage look and actions Ishmael does not feel safe. After some reassurance from Coffin, Ishmael understands that Queequeg means no harm and both end up being the best of friends.Ishmael learns to accept other cultures other than his by judging people not by their looks but by the content of their character.

__Chapter 9 scene III__
In Chapter nine, Father Maple gives a sermon about disobedience and how sometimes what one thinks is the correct thing to do turns out to be wrong. Father Maple speaks about Jonah and his disobedience towards God. Here Jonah starts to be greedy and decides to only obey himself. For doing so, God implements a harsh punishment on Jonah and doesn’t lift the punishment until Jonah realizes what he is doing is wrong. Melville uses digression in this chapter by using a different story to give a glimpse of what is destined for the Pequod and its crew later on in the book. In this case, the story of Jonah is reflected upon Ahab and his obsession. The crew gets concentrated to much on killing Moby Dick and forgets about their main purpose which was to gather whale oil and make a fortune.

Chapter 38 scene IV
Another use of digression is in chapter thirty-eight when Melville shows the confusion and problems concerning Starbuck. Starbuck knows that Ahab’s real mission was not to create a fortune but to fulfill his obsession of getting revenge on the White Whale. So much obsession can lead to total chaos and everyone’s life is at risk. All these problems are starting to be clear to Starbuck and he decides to do something about it. Melville goes into detail and shows the thought process and feelings that Starbuck has. He comes up with an idea of killing Ahab and in his opinion was the best decision for the crew but backs out because he realizes not all of the crew members see these problems and he would end up in mutiny. This chapter is also giving a glimpse into the atrocity that destiny has on hold for The Pequod and its crew members.

__Chapter 94 scene V__
Chapter ninety-four gives an insight into the world of whaling and its dangers. This chapter talks about the coveted whale oil and how it is taken out from the whale. Chapter ninety-four could probably be one of the very few chapters that talk about the actual mission of the Pequod, which is to hunt down whales to retrieve their oil. Ishmael here fulfills his goal which is to learn more about whaling. It also seems that by using this simple chapter about dissecting the whale, Melville tries to make reference to the unfortunate event that led Captain Ahab to lose his leg to the White Whale, Moby Dick. He does this by using a very common accident among spade-men, "If he cuts off one of his own toes, or one of his assistants" which is trying to say that if Ahab goes down trying to evoke revenge on Moby Dick then he is bringin all others down with him. hint: The Pequod's final destination, down under the sea.

Chapter 135 scene VI
The grand finale turns out to be the destruction of the Pequod and failure of Captain Ahab. All their hard work and voyage all comes to an end here because the obsession and ignorance of one person led everyone else to their doom. Here, Ahab tried to defeat a supernatural force that cannot be stopped, which is Moby Dick, just like Jonah tried to get away from God but he couldn't. Unlike Jonah though, Ahab could not see errors in his actions and tried to defeat something beyond his reach.