Religion is abundant throughout the
novel. An instance I thought to be important in foreshadowing the rest of the
story is the warning given by Gabriel from the Jerobeam, a ship that pulls up
to the Pequod to exchange information. When the ship first pulls up, Stubb
immediately recognizes Gabriel simply from hearing a story about him. Gabriel
had been a prophet among the shakers in New York and proclaimed himself to be
the archangel Gabriel on the ship. He ordered the captain to jump overboard and
mesmerized the rest of the crew. When Mayhew, the skipper of the Jerobeam,
ordered Gabriel to be put ashore, the rest of the crew threatened to desert
unless Gabriel remained. Gabriel warned against killing Moby Dick as he was the
“Shaker of God.” When a mate threw a lance at Moby Dick, he was thrown
overboard and drowned in the water. When Gabriel’s “prophesy” came true, the
crew became his disciples, as they believed he was a messenger from God.
-Gabriel warned against killing it, calling it “the Shaker
God incarnated.”
The
scene was significant because Gabriel watched the drowning from atop the
masthead like he was either conducting a sermon or communicating from God. After
the story, Ahab makes it clear that he still plans on hunting Moby Dick so
again Gabriel gives the warning saying, “Think, think of the blasphemer—dead,
and down there!—beware of the blasphemer’s end!” He is urging Ahab to adhere to
religion and listen to him. The fact the Ahab plans to ignore his warnings does
not bode well for the members of the Pequod.
I definitely see the reference here and noticed it when reading as well. I think this is especially relevant because when I thought of Gabriel at the masthead it reminded me of earlier in the book when we saw the preacher preaching from a pulpit described like a ship. Knowing that Ahab will kill all of his crew, other than Ishamel, makes this scene much more powerful. As I read this, I wondered if Meville wrote this chapter into the story before or after he wrote the conclusion of the Pequod. While we will never know, it is interesting to consider because it would give insight as to whether or not this was intended to be a lesson for the reader or just the way that Meville understood the world around him because of his religious roots.
ReplyDeleteThe choice of Gabriel for the biblical allusion is interesting when one analyzes the other roles the angel had aside from delivering the news of Jesus’ birth. Generally, Gabriel’s role is to be the messenger of God, leading one to question for who the Gabriel in Moby-Dick is working. Using the previous class discussion and assuming that Ahab worships Moby Dick as his false idol, one can reason that the novel’s Gabriel serves as a the messenger of Moby Dick, warning not to challenge or anger the whale with the story of the deceased shipmate. Additionally, though it is not mentioned in the Bible, over time Gabriel and his trumpet became associated with warning of the end times, meaning the novel’s Gabriel may also be warning of the certain doom of The Pequod’s doom.
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