Ishmael on Religious Activities
At the beginning of Chapter 17, The Ramadan, Ishmael claims to "cherish the greatest respect towards everybody's religious obligations, never mind how comical, and could not find it in [his] heart to undervalue even a congregation of ants worshipping a toad-stool" (79). While he presents a tolerant, neutral position in his words, his later actions towards Queequeg in his observance of his religious tradition reflect a lack of understanding. He labors to "show Queequeg that all these Lents, Ramadans, and prolonged ham-squattings in cold, cheerless rooms were stark nonsense; bad for the health; useless for the soul; opposed, in short, to the obvious laws of Hygiene and common sense" (82). He does not participate in this particular pagan tradition (though before he prays to the idol), thinking that his Ramadan is "so deplorably foolish" (82).
To what extent does Ishmael show religious tolerance and acceptance? Do his actions to halt Queequeg's savage "Ramadan" say anything about Ishmael's values and priorities? Could this relate to his belief that "what they call [his] shadow here on earth is [his] true substance?" (45) Does Ishmael care about a higher power or an afterlife?
Absolutes: Melville on Good and Evil
While Queequeg is introduced as a cannibal carrying the head of a New Zealander, the reader almost forgets what makes the savage "savage" through his interactions with Ishmael. Ishmael himself does many of these reversals of traditional thought, as in his realization that it is better to "sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian" (36). Yet, even though Ishmael rids himself of many of his prejudices against his wild companion, instances of cannibalism cannot be ignored. At the close of The Ramadan, Queequeg quickly describes the typical post-battle feast, with dead humans on the menu. Ishmael, naturally, expresses disgust in his account of the story, shuddering at the thought of eating people like "Christmas turkeys" (83).
Does Melville want us to see Queequeg as a savage? Does his cannibalism condemn him? What does a cannibalistic culture say about its people in regards to morality? Can you have a "good" and "civilized" society built upon the consumption of other people? What does a cannibalistic tradition reveal about the values of Kokovoko in terms of religion? Can cannibalism be justified?
The Mysterious Captain Ahab
Named after a tyrannical biblical king, Ahab is a man of confusion himself. His description as it is given in The Ship consists primarily of oxymorons. He is presented as a "grand, ungodly, god-like man" who has "been in colleges, as well as 'mong the cannibals" (78). He "ain't sick" but he "isn't well either" (78).
How might Ahab's introduction as a man of contradictions foreshadow future internal conflict within the character? Could Captain Ahab be a part of the ongoing metaphor about the sea as a middle place, a desegregating force for race, religion, nationality, and age? How might his presence affect the relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg, two harpooners from very different backgrounds?
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