The change in format and tone from Ishmael’s narrative to the many perspectives of his shipmates marks the change in mood of the sailors. Suddenly they have a goal, a paramount prize to focus their voyage on. The whalers are no longer sailing out at sea waiting for a whale to find them; they are now in control. They are no longer waiting for fate to happen to them. Instead, they are creating their own fate.
The white whale they are seeking is not simply an ocean dwelling creature; it is the embodiment of Ahab’s demons, the challenge sent by divine forces (good and/or evil) for him to overcome. The whale’s rare color and behavior are legendary; this is the challenge the tragic hero Ahab must conquer in order to prove himself and have his revenge.
Ishmael’s description of mastheads explains his love of ships and being out at sea very well. Melville writes: “For the most part, in this tropic whaling life, a sublime uneventfulness invests you; you hear no news; read no gazettes…are never troubled with the thought of what you shall have for dinner – for all your meals for three years and more are snugly stowed in casks, and your bill of fare is immutable” (133). Onboard the Pequod, life is boiled down into its simplest forms. The complications of life on land such as worrying about income, sustenance, and anxiety causing news, cloud the emotional and the cerebral joys of living life on a ship. The concentrated experience of an isolated life allows for more self reflection and discovery, which Ishmael is very fond of. Onboard, Ishmael can be the sole authority on the classification of whales and history, as there are no other authorities to refute his knowledge. It is much easier to believe Ishmael’s rewritten history when he is the most qualified academic on the Pequod. Returning to the masthead, Ishmael loves it so much because it is removed even further from civilization than the boat. On the masthead there are even fewer responsibilities than on the boat. One can just lie back and watch the scenery.
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