I found it interesting how psychologically unsound Ahab
is. This point is illustrated through
the time we see him as a main character.
Meville sets Ahab up to be on a tragic quest that I initially assumed
was motivated by the loss of his leg. I
believe Ahab is plagued by obsessive compulsive disorder. I reached this conclusion because of the
psychology courses I have taken on this subject. My first inclination was that he goes back to
sea after losing a leg which goes against better judgment. Chapter 29 is particularly important because
it shows how unstable Ahab is. The
crewmen are metaphorically walking on pins and needles around him, and the confrontation
between him and Stubb is escalated out of proportion. I also chose this chapter of the book because
it begins with stage directions which I thought was odd since the book is told
in first person POV. I believe the stage
directions were a device used by Meville to set up Ahab as a tragic hero when
he and the boat sink. The tunnel vision,
or obsessive compulsive disorder, Ahab has for harpooning the whale is immense
and ultimately leads to the loss of all lives except Ishmael. Chapter 44 is also an instance of Ahab behaving madly because of his obsession with Moby Dick
I also found the psychiatric characteristics of Ahab interesting and disturbing. Ahab's monomania, as described by Melville, is a main theme throughout the novel, and a driving plot device. In chapter 37, Ahab's monologue alone in the ship's cabin is a very descriptive insight to the inner workings of Ahab's mind, and to me extremely disturbing to read. I get the ominous feeling that Ahab's overwhelming, singular obsession will end up being his hamartia, the fatal flaw that will lead to his own demise and probably an unhappy end to most of his crew, as suggested by Ishmael's early foreshadowing of Queequeg's death near the beginning of the novel.
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