Captain Ahab Essay Research Paper Captain AhabIf

Captain Ahab Essay, Research Paper

Captain Ahab

If you ever saw Captain Ahab in a dark alley, you’d probably turn and run the other way. His scarred body and wooden leg are just a couple of characteristics that show who he is. Ahab is the captain of the whaling ship Pequod, and their mission is to go on a trip and bring back as many whales as possible. Ahab has a different mission plan set in his mind. The grotesque scars and wooden leg are just horrible reminders of what can go wrong when man goes against nature. Moby Dick, a gigantic white whale, attacked Ahab. Ahab is not the only victim, though. Another Captain of a ship was severely injured by Moby Dick. This captain had more sense, and just avoided the whale at all costs. This was completely opposite of how Ahab dealt with his situation. Ahab was completely overtaken with the rage of revenge. He forced his crewmates to pledge revenge on Moby Dick, even thought they had no reason. His complete madness led the ship on a wild goose (whale) chase through deadly waters. Ahab only cared about his own feelings, for Starbuck, came to him many times and told him that the crew wanted to go home, to see their wives and families, and to get more supplies. Ahab just kept insisting on finding Moby Dick, and killing him. The lives of other people didn’t matter to him, he only wanted to get back at that whale. In the end, the entire crew suffered because of his extreme selfishness.