Rob Cornelius
The Whiteness of the Whale
2. What makes Ishmael swear an oath to kill the white whale? Does
Ishmael see Moby Dick the same way which Ahab sees him? Why is the
whiteness of the whale terrifying?
We know that Ahab has long before this story taken an oath to kill Moby Dick, but why have Ishmael and the crew of the ship taken up this oath too? And what exactly is the significance of the whale's white skin? I believe that these two …showed first 85 words of 1068 total…
You are viewing only a small portion of the paper. Please login or register to access the full copy.
…showed last 85 words of 1068 total…a false sense of hate can be instilled in anyone with enough persistence (e.g. racial discrimination). So with a combination of fear of a fabled white whale, an uneasily pinpointed urge to destroy that which is different and beautiful, and an instilled sense of retribution to this creature, Ishmael has made an oath to kill. And in my opinion, we have all of the needed information for an incredible story not only so far, but in the next pages which make up Moby Dick.
