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Moby Dick Analysis

Decent Essays

Pip’s Role in A Moby Dick In the novel, A Moby Dick, Pip is a young African American boy, who has almost no power on the Pequod. Pip only makes a handful of appearances in the novel, which leads the reader to ask: why does Melville include him in this novel? Pip normally serves as an entertainer for the crew and cleans up the ship. However, after being left in the ocean for hours, he forms a special bond with Ahab. Through their time spent together Pip positively affects Captain Ahab, which is why he is included in the novel. Pip’s positive influence on Ahab originates from their differences. After Ahab loses his leg to Moby Dick, he refuses to accept that there is something bigger than him and only becomes more obsessed with killing the white whale. When Ahab explains his obsession over Moby Dick, he says: “be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him. Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me … Who’s over me?” (Melville 178). In other words, Ahab refuses to accept Moby Dick as God. If there was a god, it would mean that there is something out of his control. The idea of there being something bigger than him scares Ahab and he refutes the idea. Pip, on the other hand, realizes how insignificant he is to the larger world as a result of his experience of being alone in the ocean. When one oarsmen becomes injured, Pip must step up to fill his place. However, Pip is skittish, so he jumps out of the

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