Moby Dick as a Christian Allegory

[98cwitr]

Just rewatched Moby Dick tonight and for the first time as a Christian and I see some stark and surprising symbolism in the movie regarding not only a lot of OT theology but Christ as well. Anyone have any predetermined insight in this? I have many thoughts about this and am still trying to organize them. To break down the characters in allegorical instances so far this is how I see it:

Moby Dick - God

Ahab - Sinful man's innate nature of destroying righteousness in complete defiance and opposition to that which seeks to destroy him for those very reasons.

Ishmael - Clearly the narrator, he seems to represent modern Christian society as a whole. Not strong in foundation, easy to jump on the bandwagon, yet out of shear mercy, i guess, from God he is saved. No repentant nature is displayed in this allegory though, so I think I might have this one wrong.

Starbuck - Fundamentalist Evangelic society. Eventually corrupted due to his inability to really control Ahab's quest for vengeance, he ends up killing the rest of the crew even when Stubb says they need to go back. Maybe this is a display of what legalism does to Christianity. Or does his character relate more to the corruption of money in Christian society. Starbuck says in the movie he doesn't care what the whale really is to Ahab, but how much it will fetch in the New Bedford market.

Stubb - Cocky, a little arrogant, but smart and funny. If this guy was in a frat house he'd fit right in. He aid Ishmael right up for whaling and is very friendly to him. Sounds like most agnostics I know.

Queequeg - I still dont get why this character was cast in the movie or the book. He is ignorant, yet very resourceful, loyal to the core, and humble. Yet in complete opposition to Christianity in a blunt way in which his beliefs are displayed. He does predict his own death. Does he represent paganism or gnosticism to some degree?

Pip - The little black kid? A free spirit of sorts...what on earth is he doing on a whaling ship? I have no idea here. I read some of the links I found on google, but it seems Pip's character in the book differs from the movie so I dont know.

Elijah - Well duh...he's the prophet that foretells the death of every one save Ishmael.

I really liked the allegorical name of the saving ship, the Rachel, since that's straight out of scripture (See Matthew 2:18)

What the movie said more to me about Christ's relationship to man is that it reminds me that He said that the meek shall inherit the earth, and Ishmael, even in his lack of faith, was spared for he was meek. Ishmael was soft spoken, caring, loving to even the pagan cannibal whom he befriended (wouldn't Christ have done the same thing?), didn't say anything harsh about anyone, and seemed like a gentle person. Yet he pursued whaling, is even whaling an allegory for something? Our hunt to destroy that which is holy for our own greed, selfish lust, and acts for vengeance? Overall, I see it as men trying to kill God, but they are never successful, many are spared, but when you attack God out of sheer vengeance toward His very nature, you destroy yourself and everything around you in the process.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Phileoeklogos]

Awesome, Can't wait for your reveiw of "ET"........ just pulling your leg a bit, not much on literary classics, but if I ever give Moby Dick another watch, I'll be on the lookout.

 

[christian73]

Very interesting insight. Thanks for sharing.

 

[MrJim]

45 years old and I've never read it The hillbilly school I went to in Southern Missouri wasn't big on literature..

 

[PassthePeace1]

Just rewatched Moby Dick tonight and for the first time as a Christian and I see some stark and surprising symbolism in the movie regarding not only a lot of OT theology but Christ as well. Anyone have any predetermined insight in this? I have many thoughts about this and am still trying to organize them. To break down the characters in allegorical instances so far this is how I see it:

Moby Dick - God

Ahab - Sinful man's innate nature of destroying righteousness in complete defiance and opposition to that which seeks to destroy him for those very reasons.

Ishmael - Clearly the narrator, he seems to represent modern Christian society as a whole. Not strong in foundation, easy to jump on the bandwagon, yet out of shear mercy, i guess, from God he is saved. No repentant nature is displayed in this allegory though, so I think I might have this one wrong.

Starbuck - Fundamentalist Evangelic society. Eventually corrupted due to his inability to really control Ahab's quest for vengeance, he ends up killing the rest of the crew even when Stubb says they need to go back. Maybe this is a display of what legalism does to Christianity. Or does his character relate more to the corruption of money in Christian society. Starbuck says in the movie he doesn't care what the whale really is to Ahab, but how much it will fetch in the New Bedford market.

Stubb - Cocky, a little arrogant, but smart and funny. If this guy was in a frat house he'd fit right in. He aid Ishmael right up for whaling and is very friendly to him. Sounds like most agnostics I know.

Queequeg - I still dont get why this character was cast in the movie or the book. He is ignorant, yet very resourceful, loyal to the core, and humble. Yet in complete opposition to Christianity in a blunt way in which his beliefs are displayed. He does predict his own death. Does he represent paganism or gnosticism to some degree?

Pip - The little black kid? A free spirit of sorts...what on earth is he doing on a whaling ship? I have no idea here. I read some of the links I found on google, but it seems Pip's character in the book differs from the movie so I dont know.

Elijah - Well duh...he's the prophet that foretells the death of every one save Ishmael.

I really liked the allegorical name of the saving ship, the Rachel, since that's straight out of scripture (See Matthew 2:18)

What the movie said more to me about Christ's relationship to man is that it reminds me that He said that the meek shall inherit the earth, and Ishmael, even in his lack of faith, was spared for he was meek. Ishmael was soft spoken, caring, loving to even the pagan cannibal whom he befriended (wouldn't Christ have done the same thing?), didn't say anything harsh about anyone, and seemed like a gentle person. Yet he pursued whaling, is even whaling an allegory for something? Our hunt to destroy that which is holy for our own greed, selfish lust, and acts for vengeance? Overall, I see it as men trying to kill God, but they are never successful, many are spared, but when you attack God out of sheer vengeance toward His very nature, you destroy yourself and everything around you in the process.

What are your thoughts?

Amazing, I was thinking about Moby Dick a couple of weeks ago. I was deep in prayer, and I started thinking about the final scene in Moby Dick. I just dismissed it as my mind wandering. But it keep returning....at one point I was even amused on why Moby Dick? LOL. I have never thought much one way or another about the story, other than it was classical literature.

It's been ages since I have seen the movie, and even longer since I have read the book. Now I am going to have to put it at the top of my Netflix queque...lol.

Do you think perhaps, Ahab represents Satan...seeking revenge for being cast out of Heaven, as a result of his rebellion against God? Ahab's last words were, "From the depths of Hell, I stab at thee!"....would pretty much echo Satan's evil actions on the world thru history.

Don't know I could be off, like I said it's been awhile since I saw the movie. I'll have to post back after I watch the movie.

So glad you brought this up...

Peace be with you.

 

[Lemmiwinks]

Moby Dick is based on real events that occurred in 1820 when a spermwhale attacked the whaleship Essex.

 

[MagusAlbertus]

Moby Dick is based on real events that occurred in 1820 when a spermwhale attacked the whaleship Essex.

And yet literature can say things that are much deeper than the simple reporting of the story, even if it is build on real events.

 

[HolySpirits]

Isiah refers to Satan as "Leviathan", which means 'sea monster' or whale.

Satan's military is invisible, thus it is like a sea monster, you can't see it, but you know it's there.

Incidently, the killer at Virginia Tech, and also the one at the Discovery Channel, both inscribed 'Call me Ishmael" on the wall or something like that. No one knows why.

thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, the last part is a ranting about the Kingdom of Darkness.

The Movie, Fallen, is about Satan's invisible kingdom, and the Protagonist is named 'Hobbes', after Thomas Hobbes.

A painting, meant to depict the Body of satan, one being , made of many flesh bodies.

Isiah refers to Satan as "Leviathan", which means 'sea monster' or whale.

Satan's military is invisible, thus it is like a sea monster, you can't see it, but you know it's there.

Incidently, the killer at Virginia Tech, and also the one at the Discovery Channel, both inscribed 'Call me Ishmael" on the wall or something like that. No one knows why.

thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, the last part is a ranting about the Kingdom of Darkness.

The Movie, Fallen, is about Satan's invisible kingdom, and the Protagonist is named 'Hobbes', after Thomas Hobbes.

the writer of the movie, Fallen, is Nicholas Khazan. His father, Elias Khazan was the star witness of the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities.


Research the Venona Project, which proved everything Elias Khazan testified to was true.