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Essay / The Symbolic Layer of the Great Armada Chapter in the Novel Moby Dick
Melville's novel Moby Dick is filled with symbolism and messages related to human behavior and its effects on the world. This is shown in chapter 87 "The Great Armada", which takes place as the Pequod crosses the straits. Here they encounter a large herd of whales, unlike the way whales usually travel, which in the case of sperm whales, is solitary. There was also a pirate ship chasing the Pequod. The Pequod moves away from the pirate ship and towards the whales, and they end up killing a whale. In this chapter, Melville explores philosophical thoughts and ideas, such as isolation. However, Ishmael's philosophical thoughts are not the only important parts of the chapter. The actual behavior of the whales and the Pequod's crew is important because they reflect the effect of humans on nature. “The Great Armada” is a chapter that expresses the innate actions of animals and the negative effect of humans on the world. It also concerns human nature, as Gilbert's essay shows, since the events of this chapter relate to Gilbert's views on human behavior, as well as some of my own.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay “The Great Armada” is an important chapter of the novel because it introduces a motif of the book, man versus nature. This is reflected in the behavior of whales. In this chapter, Ishmael and the Pequod encounter a large group of whales traveling together for safety. However, before humans began hunting whales, sperm whales were typically solitary or in small groups. This change in whale behavior shows the negative effect of human activity on nature. Another important part of this chapter is how the crew members react to the pirate ship and the whales. They move away from the pirate ship which, in a way, was chasing the Pequod, but head towards the whales, to hunt them. This is ironic since the Pequod was fleeing a ship that they didn't believe had the right to harm them, but instead went to kill whales. This is possible since most of the crew view whales as inferior creatures meant to be killed for the benefit of man. However, Melville questions this when Ishmael's boat gets stuck in the center of the herd, where the situation is rather calm. Here they observe whales and their human characteristics. For example, Melville includes a passage about mother whales and their calves. This shows the boat crew that the whales are not inferior creatures that mean nothing as they are shown the real families. “The Great Armada” is a chapter that shows the importance of nature and contradicts the idea of human superiority and anthropocentrism. “The Great Armada” is also important because of the relationship it has to the real world and people's lives. Although people don't typically see herds of whales on a daily basis, Ishmael's symbolism and philosophical thoughts are relatable and relevant to everyone. In this chapter, Ishmael reflects on the isolation as well as the calm when his boat was stuck in the center of the ring, chaos reigned around them due to the instinct and distress of the whales. However, the boat was in a relatively calm location as there were whales surrounding it, allowing it to have a stable position where they could observe their surroundings. Ishmael called this the center of the.