August 24, 2019 - Chapter One Hundred Thirty


Now sure that he is within the same stretch of sea as Moby Dick, Ahab displays singleness of purpose. When the watchmen fail to spot the white whale, he decides to go up the mast himself to search for it. He asks Starbuck to help him: "Take the rope, Sir—I give it into thy hands, Starbuck." Once up the mast, a bird steals Ahab’s hat and drops it in the water.

The chapter ends with an allusion to Tarquin, an ancient king of Rome who had a similar experience with a bird and a hat, but the more interesting allusion is the one I quoted in the previous paragraph. Does it not resemble the last words of Jesus on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit”? If it does, then in this case, Ahab is Jesus and Starbuck is God. I don’t know that I’ve heard Ahab described as a Christ figure before, although there is some discussion of the topic here.

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