1. Biblical allusions in moby dick
Luke Fahmy and Leonardo Morella
Biblical allusions in moby dick

2. Overview Herman Melville sought to create the great American novel
This novel would have to consist of a variety of literary devices and references to popular American themes
One technique of his to bring this about was to relate many of the characters/events to the Bible

3. The Right Whale as Christ

4. The Whale as Christ
The previous slide shows the old right whale from the chapter called “The Pequod Meets the Virgin”
This whale is interpreted as a symbol of Christ because he was stabbed with three harpoons, attached to three pieces of wooden board, and dragged behind a ship without resisting
The name “The Virgin” might also represent Christ’s mother, Mary

5. “Call Me Ishmael”

6. “Call Me Ishmael”
This is the first line of the book and is discusses often
Other than the fact that the character’s name is Ishmael (from the Bible,) it is striking that he says, “Call me.” This is a very informal and welcoming greeting, but could also indicate that “Ishmael” is just a nickname or what the character desires to call himself

7. Moby Dick

8. Moby Dick
The great white whale has little Biblical significance, but some
He represents the unknown because of his many periods of prolonged silence and the mysteriousness of his actions
This is similar to the altar of the unknown god in Acts 17:23
There, Paul claims that the unknown god is the True God whom they worship
Similarly, Melville may be indicating that the crew of the Pequod (especially Captain Ahab,) worship Moby Dick

9. Jonah

10. Jonah Many characters in the book have their Jonah-like moments
This may be from actually being inside of a whale or from some sort of rebirth that they experienced (like Jonah)
Queequeg, Tashtego, Ahab, and Ishmael were all actually inside of a whale
Ahab, Ishmael, and Pip experienced some sort of rebirth